Darkness on Memories
by cher-cher91
Summary: Who knew you're world could change in the blink of an eye? Literally. She's at home one night, then the next she finds herself waking to the world of YYH! Over the next few weeks she discovers strengths she didn't know she had.
1. Chapter 1: Wait, I'm Here?

_NAME: English: Angel Madison Moore_

_AGE: 15_

_ADORNMENTS:Tattoos: Jun'ai (Pure Love) on R bicep_

_ Mugen Ai (Infinite Love) on L bicep_

_APPEARANCE: Sandy colored hair hanging down by her waist, freckles, and bright blue eyes. Five foot five inches in height. _

**Chapter One**

"See ya later, Katie!" Madison called, waving to her friend out at the street before entering her house. "Dad, I'm home!" She yelled into the kitchen, attempting to make it up the stairs without being stopped; not a chance.

"Where have you been Angel?" Her father demanded, standing at the bottom of the stairs with one hand on the railing. While the name might sound affectionate, it was, in fact, her real name. She much preferred Madison or Madie, but when her parents were mad they would use her real name.

Madison stopped mid-step, not daring to look back at him. "O-out." She stuttered a little, hoping against all hope that he would just leave it at that.

"That's not going to cut it, missy. You were supposed to be home at eight o'clock, _two hours ago._" Her father crossed his arms.

Madison felt a shiver running up her spine at the tone in her father's voice; he was mad. Really mad. "G-gomen, but see we ran into Heather and Faith from school, and then we decided to go out for ice cream and-" "Angel!" He father's voice was chillingly icy as he interrupted her excuses, forcing her to turn around to actually face him.

She gulped as her blue eyes met his usually soft brown ones; they weren't so soft anymore. "I've told you repeatedly that I don't want you out after dark, especially walking. Do you realize just how dangerous it is out there?"

Madie rolled her eyes. "Dad, come on, what do you think is gonna happen, honestly? It's not like there are thugs and sex-offenders out there just waiting around every corner. Besides, there were four of us, so you don't need to be so worried."

Her dad sighed, running his hand through his sand-colored hair. "Go get ready for bed." He turned and walked into the living room. Madie sighed, turned around, and headed towards her room. "Is that you, honey?" Her mother's tired voice drifted out her parents bedrooms.

"Hai!" Madison opened her door and flipped on the light; boxes everywhere. She sighed, shoving a couple out of her way. Her bed was set up, but not much else was. They had just moved into the house, it was only a few blocks from their old house, but she already liked it a lot better than their old one.

Once she changed into some lounge pants and a tank top, she grabbed one of the boxes and pulled it down onto the floor next to her. She pulled open the flaps and reached in, beginning to unload the contents. First out came the rolled up Yu Yu Hakusho posters, then the mangas (part of a much larger collection), and last of all, her other YYH odds and ends. Character pictures, YYH sketchbook, episode and movie DVDs, pens, notebooks, a calendar, etc.

Yes, as you have (probably) guessed by now, she's more than a little bit obsessed/addicted with Yu Yu Hakusho.

"Aha!" She exclaimed, jerking her hand back out. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and slipped the cover on it. It fit like a dream. She had got it real cheaply at a convention because the man had said it was damaged, but she didn't care.

She had never been one for choosing favorites, so this cell phone cover was just perfect: all four of the main characters. Of course, she had covers for each individual of the Urameshi team, but since she loved them all so dearly, it seemed wrong to play favorites like that.

She talked to the posters and other merchandise as she put it back in the box again. "Don't worry, very soon you all shall be brought out of the darkness and back into the light." She closed the flaps. And since she had kept the DVDs out, she popped one in: Yoko Kurama.

Jumping up onto her bed, she curled up against her pillows, listening to the opening theme.

"Madie?" Her mom knocked on the half-open door before entering. "Hai?" Madie clicked pause before turning her attention to her parent. Her mom came over, her brown hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. "Time for bed, kiddo."

Madison's shoulders slumped. "Aw, Mom! I was gonna watch the episode.." Her mom chuckled. "I know. But it is a school night. So, off with the TV. Good night Angel." Her mom said teasingly before leaving the room.

Madie growled to herself as she reluctantly turning off the television. "Parents…Why can't they just go curl up in a corner and rot?" She sighed, flipping off the lights and hopping into bed.

'I can't wait to get my room decorated. 'She thought, pulling the covers around herself. "I wish I could go into an anime. No parents, no curfews, and no problems…" Her eyelids drooped, and she slipped into a deep slumber.

During the night, she experienced a large wave of pain colliding into her body. In her dream she was trapped under a collapsed building; she didn't wake.

**Next morning….**

-Bipp-

"Ohshutit." Madison growled, trying to fling her arm on top of her alarm clock. However, when she did so, she experienced a stabbing pain running up and down her arm. "Ow!" She exclaimed, still not willing to open her eyes.

-Bipp-

"Mooooooom!" She yelled, trying to roll again. Again, she felt the stabbing pain, only this time all through her torso. "Goshdarnit, I'm still hurting from my dream!" She forced her eyes opened, and gasped.

'Th…this isn't my room…'Her eyes were wide as she stared around herself. By the looks of things she was in a hospital. That annoying 'bipp' was from a heart monitor, and she had bandages around her ribs, right arm, and head.

"Whe-where am I?" She stuttered, shifting her eyes around the room. There were no signs, nothing indicating where on earth she was. "This….this can't be real…"

She jerked slightly as the door opened, and a nurse entered the room, carrying some sort of syringe. "You're awake!" The nurse hurried over, quickly glancing over her vital signs.

"Where am I? Why am I here?" Madison asked, looking at the syringe. She hated needles, with a passion. "You're in Tokyo General Hospital, and you were trapped under a collapsed building." The nurse inserted the needle into the IV line. Madison breathed a sigh of relief. 'Okay, so no needles into the skin just as yet.'

"You feel up to some visitors?" The nurse asked, scribbling down Madie's vitals on the chart. Madison tried, but failed, to cock her head. "Who would be visiting me?" The nurse shrugged, sticking the pen back inside her pocket. "Dunno. But they asked to see you specifically, so I assume they know you. Shall I let them in?"

Madison thought a minute, then carefully shrugged. "It can't hurt." "Okay then." The nurse smiled and disappeared out of the room. A few minutes later, there came a knock on the door. "It's open." She called, a little apprehensive about who would be walking in that door.

A head full of very red hair and amazingly green eyes appeared. Madison's jaw dropped. 'Tha….that's Kurama! 'Her mind screamed, but she couldn't, as of yet, form words. Then a boy with slicked back black hair appeared, shutting the door behind himself.

"How are you feeling, miss?" The red head asked, walking over, smiling; Yusuke approached the bed as well. "Wa-wa-wa-wa-wait. How's this possible? How can you be here! Better question, how can I be here…"

Kurama and Yusuke looked at each other. "Maybe we should come back some other time." He suggested, turning to leave.

'Nice going. Now they think you're completely bonkers. 'Madie chuckled nervously. "That's okay. I'm just, not quite myself today." 'You can say that again.. 'She thought, silently motioning for them to take a seat.

They sat down in chairs next to the bed; Madie forced a small smile onto her lips. "So, why did you guys come?" Yusuke spoke up. "We were the ones who found you, and we wanted to be sure you were okay."

Madison debated about how much to tell them. If she just said she was fine and let it go at that, they'd disappear. 'Along with any chance of getting home. But on the other hand, this has to be a dream, right? I can't _actually_ be here, can I?'

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Well, there was chapter one. Review, peoples, let me know what you think. Liked it, thought it sucked, whatevs.  
If people liked it, I'll keep it going. Let me know!


	2. Chapter 2: Homesick

A/N: Before I get this next chapter up, I just want to take a minute to say thank you to everyone who reviewed. Your reviews were very helpful and very much appreciated!  
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Chapter Two**

Madison sat silently in the car, a little bit sleepy from the painkillers. The woman sitting behind the wheel was likewise silent, but smiling at least. She had chestnut colored hair pulled back into a high ponytail, violet colored eyes, and a slender build accented by her white nurse's uniform. Madie, too awkward to make conversation, looked out the window at the houses flashing past the window. The nurse (apparently named Rina) from the day before had volunteered to let Madie stay with her until she regained her memory and/or they found her family. Unfortunately, she'd been too nervous to tell Shuiichi or Yusuke about her plight, so there was no hope of getting back to her real home.

Rina pulled up a driveway and stopped the car. "We're here." She said gently, stepping out of the car. Madie followed suit, closing the car door behind her. The house was one story, excepting for a room above the garage. Flower beds containing numerous different types of flowers encircled the house, contrasting against the white paint on the house.

Madison's eyes strayed down the slightly large jeans and oversized grey t-shirt she had on, and then back at the house. It looked so clean and cheery, she felt out of place. "Come on then." Rina said, putting a hand behind the girl's back and gently propelling her through the front door. Madie looked around as they entered; the inside looked just as nice as the outside. Hardwood covered the floor, and pictures covered a lot of the walls. "Are you hungry?" Rina asked, stopping momentarily to set down her purse and slip off her shoes. Madison shook her head, smiling briefly. "You probably feel like getting to bed. Here, I'll show you to your room and then find you something to sleep in."

The woman led Madie through the spacious yellow kitchen to a sliding glass door. Once up the stairs on the other side, Madison found herself in a room full of windows. A queen size bed with a white bedspread was placed in one corner, and a writing desk and dresser were directly opposite. Rina bustled around, opening up some of the windows. "There, that's better. This is usually my guest room, but it'll be yours while you stay here. There's a skylight right above the bed, but if you don't like that we can move the bed out from under it."

Madison shook her head. "No, it'll be fine. Thank you."

Rina smiled, beginning to walk back down the stairs. "It's no trouble at all. If you need anything, I'm through the kitchen and at the very end of the hall. TV's in the living room if you feel like watching it, and you're welcome to help yourself to anything in the kitchen, all I ask is that you clean up afterwards."

Fifteen minutes later, Madison was lying between the clean white sheets, wearing black pajama pants with a matching top, staring up through the skylight. It was strange, how everything could so alike, and yet so the same. The stars looked the same, but they weren't _her_ stars. People still treated each other the same, but somehow they felt cold and distant. Madison pushed herself into a sitting position, bringing her knees up to her chest.

Her lower lip trembled, and tears filled her eyes. _'This isn't how it's supposed to happen. I'm not supposed to feel so incredibly alone.'_ She thought to herself as the tears spilled down her cheeks. She felt so cold, but it wasn't because of the windows. "I wanna go home…" She whimpered, burying her face in her knees.

**One week later…**

Madison stared up at the middle school building that was looming in front of her, and gulped, clutching tightly to her bag. She looked down at her white school uniform that Rina had bought her. It felt kind of strange wearing a uniform to school, but she'd get over it. Seeing as there was almost no one left outside, the teen got up the courage and ran forward into the building. Rina had taken her clothes shopping the day after she got settled in (with some objection on Madie's part) and enrolled her in school, starting the next week. And that's where she was now. Going to a strange school, speaking a strange language (that she apparently knew fluently now) and living in a strange house; no hope of getting back to her world. She'd kinda blown that chance by not telling the Spirit Detectives about what had happened to her. Then they could have told Koenma, and…

Lost in her train of thought, Madison had failed to notice the boy standing directly in her way. "Oomph!" She fell backwards, her bag dropping to the floor, her white skirt flying up. "Hey!" The large American teen growled, turning to face her angrily. "G-gomen!" Madie apologized from her position on the floor, pushing her skirt down. "Watch where you're going!" The boy snapped angrily. Madison quietly began to gather up her books, hoping the boy would just go away. "Jerk…" She muttered to herself. "What was that!" The teen grabbed the front of her shirt, hauling onto her feet. "Let go of me!" She yelped, struggling to get out of his grasp.

"Is there something wrong?" Madison's head swiveled in the direction the voice had come. "Shuiichi!" She gasped, remembering to use his human name. "I believe it would be in your best interest to let go of her." Shuiichi said calmly; the other boy turned to the red head, not releasing his grip on the girl. Shuiichi merely pointed down the hallway, where the principal was approaching. The boy growled, but dropped Madie back onto the floor. He turned on his heel on stalked away. Madison fell back down onto the floor with a small thump and a mumbled "Teme."

"Are you alright, Miss Sasaki?" It took Madison a minute to remember that that was the last name she had given the hospital. "Um, I'm fine, thanks." She accepted his extended hand, pulling herself to her feet. Her heart was still beating rapidly from the fright as she bent and gathered her books together. Shuiichi helped, and the task was soon accomplished. "Arigatou." She flashed a brief smile at him. She then fished out her schedule, since she really had no idea of her schedule or the class layout; too embarrassed to ask Shuiichi, however. "Uh…" She brought her head up, looking around at the classrooms she could see nearby.

"Is there something the matter?" Shuiichi asked, noticing her quizzical look. Madison scratched the back of her head. "Which way is math?" She grinned sheepishly; Shuiichi chuckled. "Come, I'll show you." Once at the classroom, Shuiichi left her; she waved at him before turning and entering the classroom. The teacher looked up from his desk. "You must be Miss Sasaki, yes?" Madison nodded, shutting the door. "There's an empty seat by the window." He pointed, and Madison followed to the empty seat. She sank down into it, setting her bag down next to her.

As the teacher began to drone, she stared out the window. Her heart ached with loneliness. In all the times she had imagined going into an anime or written a story about going into one, she had never realized quite how lonely it felt. Her parents were gone, her friends were gone, and her entire life had been turned upside down. She couldn't help it; her mind wouldn't stop thinking about it. About everything that had happened within the past week. Last night, still on the painkillers, had been nothing compared to how low she was feeling right now. Slowly, her head bent down onto her arms. Her body began to shake, and small sobs began escaping her throat. Before she knew it, she had lost control and was hysterical. Tears were streaming down her face, and her whole body was shaking violently.

She was vaguely aware of hands patting her awkwardly on the back, and being carried down the hallway to the nurse's office, but she didn't care: she just wanted to go home. The nurse tried his best to calm the homesick-stricken girl, but to no avail; she wouldn't be calmed. The nurse was on the verge of getting her a sedative when the door opened.

Next thing Madison realized she was leaning over the edge of the bed, retching. After it passed, she resumed her former position, burying her face in her knees, still sobbing. The bed moved as someone sat down next to her. She felt a hand soothingly rubbing her back, and, being a lonely hysterical teenage girl, she responded accordingly: by wrapping her arms around the person and burying her face in their shoulder. "I wanna go home…" She whispered, over and over, even as the hysterics began winding down. Eventually, the tears and sobs stopped completely, and she pulled away from her comforter. She brought one hand up and rubbed at the tear stains on her face. Her eyes lifted, meeting those of Shuiichi Minamino. Red crept into her cheeks, and she quickly looked down at her hands. _'This is so embarrassing! '_

"Are you feeling better now?" The kind red head asked, smiling. Still too embarrassed to look at him, she nodded. "Let's go get you cleaned up." He took her arm, gently guiding her to the bathroom; he waited outside. Madison quickly went to the sink, turning on the cold water. She splashed her face several times, letting the coolness soak into her skin. She dried off her face and looked into the mirror. Moments later, Kurama heard a scream emitting from the bathroom. He turned, knocking on the door. "Are you alright in there, Miss Sasaki?" He called; no response.

Madison was on the floor, shaking and pointing at the mirror above the sink. Slowly, she lifted herself off the floor, hesitantly looking in the mirror. _'That's not me!'_ Her mind screamed at her. When she hesitantly looked in the mirror again, what she saw was chin-length forest green hair with black tips, and green eyes to compare with Shuiichi's. She reached out a shaky hand and touched the reflective surface. "It…it has to be an illusion…" She whispered, reaching her other hand and touching her hair. "But….but how?" Feeling a little light-headed, she quickly splashed some more cold water on her face. It wasn't till after that that she heard Shuiichi knocking on the door. She took one more look in the mirror before leaving the bathroom.

"Are you alright?" Shuiichi asked with genuine concern in his voice; she was awfully pale. She wasn't quite sure how to respond. Shuiichi got her bag, let the office know, and led her out of the building. "Which way is your house?" He asked, referring to her temporary home. She looked up and down both streets, but she still couldn't force her brain to function, it was still trying to take everything in. So, he took the initiative and took her to his own home.

"My mother won't be home for a while." He said, sitting her down on the couch, and putting the bags in the walkway. "I'm gonna get some tea, okay?" He said gently, waiting until she nodded before leaving the room. He was only gone a few minutes, but when he returned she was passed out on the couch, her head resting on her arm. Shuiichi set down the mugs, grabbing a blanket and pulling it over her.

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A/N: Okay peoples, you should know the drill. Review, let me know. I hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Chapter 3: Meet & Greet

A/N: Erm, no real point to this author's note. Just wanted to say enjoy!**  
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**Chapter Three**

When Madison opened her eyes a few hours later, Shuiichi was no where in sight. However, Yusuke and a bright-orange haired boy were sitting on the floor, watching her and discussing something. "Urameshi, look!" Kuwabara pointed at Madison, who was blinking groggily at them. "Hey there. How ya feeling?" Yusuke asked, coming closer. Madison pushed herself into a sitting position. Her head was pounding, and she was starving, but other than that she felt fine. She opened her mouth to say as much, but her stomach beat her to it, growling loudly.

Yusuke chuckled. "I know what that means. Kurama's already got some food ready in the kitchen." Madison was on her feet in a split second, following the black-haired boy, with Kuwabara behind her. Madison plopped down into a chair, grinning. "That food looks amazing Shuiichi!" He set her plate down in front of her, smiling. "I thought you might be hungry."

Yusuke and Kuwabara watched in amazement as she ate; they had never seen anyone eat so much so fast. Once finished, Madison leaned back, patting her stomach. "You act like you never seen a starving Madison eat!" She said, looking at the boy's. "Oh wait, you haven't…" She chuckled, standing up. "Close your jaw Kuwabara." She said, sauntering out of the room. All three boys stared at each other.

"How did she-" Yusuke started.

"Know my name?" Kuwabara finished.

"Good question." Shuiichi stood up, following her back out to the living room. "Miss Sasaki, may-" "Madison." She broke in, sitting down on the couch. "Call me Madison. Or Madie. Whatever. That goes for all of you. Miss Sasaki just sounds so formal." Yusuke came over and stood in front of her. "How'd you know his name?" He pointed at Kuwabara. Madison debated inside herself; final conclusion: tell them. _'May as well, if I want to go home._' She took a deep breath. "Okay, well…uh…you might wanna sit down." She waited till they all were seated before taking the plunge. "I'm not from this world." She blurted out; three pairs of blank eyes stared back at her. _'Brilliant strategy, now they're REALLY gonna believe you.'_

But she hung with it, struggling through the explanation, trying her best to make them understand something she did not fully understand herself; tricky, at best. "And here I am now." She finished, rubbing her sweating palms on her skirt, chewing on her lower lip. The silence was uncomfortable, at least to her, as the three Spirit Detectives mulled over the information. _'Please believe me, please believe me!'_ She pleaded with them in her mind, barely managing to keep quiet. If they didn't believe her, she really had no clue what she was going to do.

"Well Madie, it seems you're full of surprises." Yusuke was the one to break the awkward silence, and Madison breathed a sigh of relief. "So you believe me?" She asked meekly, flashing a relieved smile. Kurama spoke next, calmly, and seeming, as always, unperturbed. "As strange as your story sounds, yes. But I think it would be prudent to consult Koenma about this." "Not like Babe will know anything about it." Madie mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Babe!" Kuwabara burst out laughing at Madie's nickname for Koenma.

"EEP!" Madison covered her mouth self-consciously. Somehow, she didn't think Koenma would respond well to being called 'babe'. "Let's go!" Yusuke leapt onto his feet, extending his hand to Madison. She smiled shyly up at him, standing up. _'Well, at least they like you.'_ She followed them; through the portal, and eventually into Koenma's office.

The toddler didn't seem to notice their presence, or chose to ignore it as he rifled through various files. "Hey, Koenma, can't you be polite for once!" Kuwabara demanded, grabbing a chair for Madison. She chuckled slightly, sinking down into it gratefully. "Yes yes, I was just…." Koenma trailed off, finally looking up at them. "Who's she?" He asked abruptly. "I'm Madison Moore." She responded, finding herself more afraid of the Prince of Spirit World than she had expected. Koenma sighed, shoving the files away. "Well, why are you here? You aren't a Spirit Detective, and you're certainly not a demon." Madison gripped her knees with her hands, wishing with all her heart that one of the boys would just explain.

However, she knew that wasn't going to happen, so she may as well repeat her story all over again. Koenma listened intently to the story, yet showing no sign of having been listening. Madison wound down her tale, holding her breath. "Well it is quite the story." Koenma said, his arms crossed, "But something about it is triggering my memory. You say you have absolutely no idea how you got here?" Madison shook her head. "Not a clue."

"Hmm…" Koenma rubbed his chin, thinking. "Well, I'll get on it. For the moment, things are quiet, so I want you to keep in contact with the boys; through them me." "Arigatou." Madie stood up, leaving the room; all but Kurama left as well, as Koenma motioned for him to stay. "What's your intuition in this?" The toddler asked, frowning at the files in front of him. "She seems sincere." Kurama said from his comfortable position in one of the chairs. "It is a somewhat fantastical story, though… You said something was triggering your memory. What was it?" He asked, calm as ever. "That's just it, I'm not exactly sure. I want you to keep an extra close watch on her, be sure she's not up to anything. Meanwhile I have paperwork and questions to answer." Koenma made a shooing motion with his hand, and Kurama quietly got up and left.

Once back in human world, Kurama entered his house to be met by the sight of Yusuke and Kuwabara playing some sort of cards with Madison. Hiei was perched on the windowsill, completely ignoring them. "HA!" Madison slapped her hands down on the large pile of cards, pulling them to herself. "That's why I am the master of Slapjack." She said proudly.

"You haven't won yet!" Kuwabara yelled, playing a card.

"He's got a point." Yusuke agreed, likewise playing a card.

Moments later, Madison took yet another pile of cards. 'It's like being home. 'She paused as this thought filled her mind, missing jack of hearts. "Yeah!" Yusuke yelled, sliding the cards towards him. Kurama smiled, grabbing his school bag and settling down comfortably on the floor to study. Madison's eyes shifted to land on his calm demeanor before shifting back to the game at hand. "You guys keep playing. I've got a sudden headache." She tossed down her cards, standing up. "You alright?" Yusuke asked concernedly; Madison smiled slightly. "Yeah, I'll be fine." She slipped on her shoes, closing the front door tightly behind herself. Kurama stood up, following her out the door. The girl was sitting on the steps, her hands cupped around her chin; she seemed lost in thought. "Madison?" Kurama lightly placed a hand on her shoulder. She jerked, startled. "Huh! Oh, Kurama. You scared me." She scooted over as he sat down next to her. "Is something bothering you?" The red head asked. Madison chewed on her lip, twiddling her fingers. "How long do you think it'll take Koenma to figure it out?" She asked, changing the subject abruptly.

Kurama noticed the switch, but shrugged, playing along. "Depends, but rest assured he'll do his best to figure _everything_ out." There was a deeper meaning in his words, but Madison didn't show any sign of having noticed. "Yeah, I guess so…" She leaned forward on her knees, her hair falling around and framing her face. "Kurama, did you..." She trailed off, staring at her arm. Kurama looked where she was looking: the sleeve on her right arm had moved up slightly, revealing something black on her skin. "You mean it…" She trailed off, jerking the sleeve up. When she did so, a tattoo with the kanji for 'Jun'ai' was displayed on her right bicep. "Pure love." Kurama chuckled a little, relaxing. Madison grinned. "Yeah, and that's not all." She reached over and yanked up her left sleeve, revealing the 'Mugen Ai' kanji tattoo on her left bicep.

"Why 'pure love' and 'infinite love'?" Kurama asked. Madison shrugged, shoving her sleeves back down. "Just what I wanted. And before you say it, no, it wasn't for anyone special." She glared playfully at the relaxed red head next to her. Her eyes met his, only for a second, but in that moment, Kurama was able to clearly see loneliness and fear. _'Maybe she really isn't dangerous.'_ He thought to himself. Suddenly, the front door slammed open. "Kurama, we gotta go: demon activity." Kurama leapt to his feet, following Kuwabara and Yusuke down the street. Madison watched them run, wondering when Hiei would show up. She shrugged, standing up and walking back into the house. At least she still had her tattoos. It wasn't so much that she was really strongly attached to the things; it was just somewhat reassuring to know that she wasn't entirely someone else.

"Let's see, Rina won't be off until eight or nine…I should probably call her and let her know where I am." Madison did a little exploring and quickly found the phone. She dug the number out of her bag, and dialed, waiting for the nurse to pick up. "Hello?" Rina's voice floated out of the receiver, and, strangely enough, Madison realized that she felt somewhat comforted to hear Rina's strong voice. But there was still a aching for it to be her mother's voice on the other end.

"Hey, it's Madie. I just wanted to let you know that I'm," she paused for a minute, not wanting to worry the woman "that I'm gonna be over at Shuiichi's house for a while after school." Madison could hear shouting going on on the other side of the phone, and Rina said quickly. "Alright, that's lovely. I've gotta run, so I'll see you tonight." Madie heard a click from the other end, indicating that the nurse had hung up. "Bye." The girl said aimlessly, hanging up the phone. "Now, to wait for the boys to get back." She wandered back into the living room, found and interesting book, and curled up on the couch to wait.

One o'clock came and went. Two o'clock passed as well. Madison had long since thrown the book away behind the couch, and was stretched out, staring blankly at the (turned off) TV screen. By three o'clock her head was still pounding, and it probably wasn't in her best interest to let it lie any longer. "Aw, screw it!" She got up and went upstairs, searching for the bathroom; not too hard. She opened all the cabinets; no luck. "Where do you keep your painkillers Kurama!" She cried, exasperated, her hands planted on her waist. "Ibuprofen, Advil, anything!" She rested her forehead against the wall, rubbing her temples. She jerked as the phone rang, and waited, commanding her heart to stop beating so wildly. _'It's just the stupid phone.'_

The phone eventually stopped, and heart had returned to its normal orbit. "Now let's see, painkillers…" Madison murmured, returning to her search. "AHA!" She screeched, snatching out a bottle. Whatever the name was, the uses said 'used for the management of mild to heavy pain'. "Touchdown!" She went down to the kitchen, filled a glass with water, and took two pills. She gulped down the rest of the water, setting the glass down in the sink. "Ahhh…" She sighed, feeling the pain begin to ebb. "That's more like it."

She absent-mindedly brushed some of her green hair back behind her ear, setting her other hand down on the counter. Suddenly, she heard a loud thud coming from somewhere in the back of the house. Madie felt her heart skip a beat, but she slowly crept towards the hall. "He-hello?" She called timidly, peering down the hallway. There was no response, and she couldn't see or hear anything. _'It was your imagination, girly.' _She turned, but paused mid-step as she heard yet another thud.

Madison looked around quickly, grabbing the closest weapon: a paring knife. Weapon in hand, she tiptoed down the hallway, every muscle taut and on edge. "Please don't be anything…" She whispered, coming to the back door; slowly turning the knob, she opened it. "It _was_ my imagination I guess." She laughed nervously, taking one step out of the door.

"Boo!"

Her answering scream echoed throughout the entire house.

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A/N: Hehe. Cliffhanger! Is it friend, foe, or an alien? smacks head on brick wall Okay, never mind the alien bit. Reviews are appreciated, but no longer required. Laterz!


	4. Chapter 4: Activity

A/N: Yay! Happiness to all my loverly readers. Chapter four is now uploaded. Woot! Okay, enough from me. Read on, yon people!  
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**Chapter Four**

Madison's scream bounced through the house, eventually dying out. Her eyes were wide, and the paring knife had dropped to the floor. A demon draped in some sort of black cloth had appeared in front of her, a smirk on his pale lips. The smirk, however, died as he gazed into her frightened blue eyes. "Y-you!" He stuttered, involuntarily taking a step back. Regaining his composure once again, the smirk again graced his face. "Ah, my dear child, I didn't mean to scare you." He reached forward, gently stroking her cheek.

A shiver ran up her spine, and something deep inside of her screamed at her to move. But she was too frightened to run, and there was something so entrancing about him; she didn't fight back. "I'll just take care of you now." He leaned closer to her, apparently going to kiss her. Madie's eyes slowly began to close; his very presence seemed to be intoxicating. What she didn't see, however, was the knife he was slowly revealing from underneath the black cloth. Footsteps pounded behind her, and a voice shouted impatiently "Move!"

It was enough to snap Madison out of her reverie, and she jerked back suddenly. She caught sight of the glint of the knife and froze in terror. "I should have taken care of you while I had the chance!" The demon spat, a great darkness seeming to grow behind him as he lunged forward. Madie brought her arms up defensively, and screamed.

"I said move, dammit!" An arm shoved her roughly to the ground, and someone leapt over her. Madison lifted her head long enough to see spiky black hair and a black cloak ramming into the other demon. _'Hiei." _Her panic-frozen brain managed to conjure up. The afore said Hiei growled in frustration as he held a pair of empty black clothes with his katana running through them. "Are you deaf or just stupid?" Hiei snapped, turning his attention to Madison, who was still on the ground. "Neither." She said defensively, pushing herself onto her feet. Hiei grunted, removing his katana from the clothes and dropping them onto the ground. "Oh no? Then why didn't you move when I told you to? I could have had him if you hadn't been so-" "Now listen here shrimp!" She said heatedly, clenching her fists, tears springing unwillingly to her eyes. "I can't exactly help it if I'm stuck in a strange world with demons. I'm not the bravest person alive, and I'm most certainly not exactly trained for combat you know!"

Hiei turned to leave, dropping the clothes on the ground and only pausing momentarily to say over his shoulder "You might want to consider training hard if you expect to survive." And then he disappeared. Madison glared for a few minutes at the place where he had been standing, then suddenly burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that tears came to her eyes. "Well," she said, brushing tears out of her eyes "at least one thing's how I imagined it: Hiei." She continued to chuckle as she turned and went back into the house, taking the clothes along with her.

Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara soon returned, trooping through the front door. "Hey, are you okay Madison? Hiei told us he ran into you over here while fighting that demon." Kuwabara asked. Madie nodded, settling further down into the couch. "Thanks to Hiei, I'm fine." She looked down at her hands after having said this. _'Back at home it's usually the other way around. I'm usually the one who does the protecting.'_ It felt kind of odd, having to be protected for once. Yusuke crouched down in front of her. "Don't feel bad." He said, and Madie jerked her head up. "Demon's can be pretty frightening."

Madie locked gazes with him for a minute before breaking off the connection. "Got that right." She muttered, giving him a brief smile to show that she appreciated his encouragement. "I should probably get back to Rina's." She said, still not able to quite bring herself to call it 'home'. Kuwabara looked at the clock and smacked himself on the forehead. "We gotta get going too, Urameshi, or Shizune's gonna kill us!" Yusuke and Kuwabara grabbed their bags and hustled out the door, waving and yelling their good-byes as they ran down the street. Kurama chuckled as he shut the door, turning his attention back to Madie. "Would you like me to walk you home?" He asked politely.

"Naw, that's okay." She grabbed her bag and slipped on her shoes. She paused at the door. "Eh, Kurama? Th-thanks… for earlier." She could feel a blush creeping into her cheeks, embarrassed at having broken down earlier, especially in front of him. Kurama could feel her unease, and hurried to appease her. "It's quite alright. Besides, it saved me the trouble of having to excuse myself from school to take care of the demon." Madison smiled a little, shutting the door tightly behind herself. _'They really are a nice bunch of guys.'_ She thought, kicking at rocks on the ground as she walked.

Once she had managed to find her way back to Rina's house, she dropped her stuff off in her room, changed, and headed down to the kitchen. She opened the fridge, browsing over the selection. "Nope..nada…eww…so not happening…" She mumbled, sighing, her eyes lifting to the freezer door. She jerked backwards, her lower back banging into a chair. But she didn't seem to notice, her eyes were glued on the metal freezer door. Reflected there, she could see the same person she had seen briefly back in the school mirror: Green hair with black tips and green eyes. Madie could feel her heart beating a million miles an hour, and she felt frozen in place. "Madison…"

The girl blinked as she heard a voice whispering her name in her head. "Who….who's there?" She said, her eyes darting frantically around the kitchen. "If this is some kind of practical joke, it's really not funny, so just cut it out right now!" All she heard was the sound of the wind rushing past the window. She slowly looked at the freezer door, and breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that she had once again returned to her normal self. "Phew." She rubbed her sweaty palms on her black lounge pants, carefully shutting the fridge door. _'Okay, I'm going crazy.'_ She grabbed some bread, jelly, and peanut butter and began making herself a PB and J. She had just started on the jelly when she heard the front door open. _'Crud, I forgot to lock it!'_ She backed up slowly next to the fridge, reaching into a cupboard. Her hand returned with a rifle, and she cocked it, holding it out in front of her and setting the knife down.

She crept forward, preparing to peer around the corner into the hallway. Kurama came around said corner, his chest pressing up against the gun. Madison jerked, her finger nearly setting off the trigger. "Kurama!" She yelled, pointing it down at the ground. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She placed one hand on her rapidly beating heart, taking a step back. Kurama gave an anime sweatdrop, looking slightly relieved. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that, but the door was open." Madison shrugged, turning and walking back over to the fridge. "'S okay. What did ya want?" She asked, her heart returning to normal as she put the gun back in its place.

Kurama held out a book. "You forgot this." He said. Madie took the book, shrugged, and put it on the counter. "Thanks." She chewed on her lip, returning to her half-done sandwich. "I should probably get home." Kurama turned to leave, and for some reason Madison's heart skipped a beat at the thought of him leaving. "Wait a second!" She spun around, bread and jelly in hand. He turned around, an eyebrow raised, on hand resting on the wall. "Yes?" Madison looked down at the bread in her hand. "You could stay if you want, Rina won't mind. She won't even be home for hours. We could sit around, eat popcorn, watch movies…" She trailed off, grinning pleadingly.

Kurama smiled back at her, giving in. "Alright, I can stay for a little while." Madie put down her food and threw her arms around him. "Arigatou!" She let go and danced back over to the counter. (She really didn't want to be in the house alone all that time.) The red head seemed somewhat startled at her outburst of joy, but quickly recovered himself. "You hungry?" Madie asked, looking over at him, considerably more relaxed than moments ago. Kurama shook his head. "No, thank you. So this house is-?" He gave her a questioning look, leaning against the cupboard. "Rina's. She agreed to let me stay with her until either my, quote and quote, _real_ family is found," she rolled her eyes "or my amnesia goes away." She shrugged, taking a bite of her sandwich. Kurama cocked his head. "Until your _amnesia_ goes away?" He asked, slightly confused.

Madison gave an anime sweatdrop. "Oh yeah, that.. Um, see, that was the final diagnosis about my condition. I wasn't exactly going to tell them otherwise and have them think me completely insane, thus assuring myself a probably permanent home in the nearest insane asylum, now was I?" Kurama chuckled at her explanation. "True." He leaned forward, his smile fading slightly. "Madison, I didn't entirely come over here for pleasure. Have you seen anyone strange around here since you got back?" Madie thought a moment, pausing mid-bite. "No." Her answer was muffled as she swallowed the last of the sandwich, wiping her hands off on her sky blue tank top. "Orange juice? Why?" She opened the fridge, pulling out a pitcher. Kurama again shook his head. "I felt a demonic presence around here, and I came to check it out. But it disappeared a few seconds before I got here. Probably nothing to worry about." He leaned back in the chair, appearing to be at ease.

Madison poured herself a glass, her thoughts turning to the reflection she'd seen moments before his arrival. _'Could that have been…?'_ She wondered, losing herself briefly in her thoughts as she stared into her glass. "…okay?" Her head snapped up as she caught the last word of his question. "Huh?" Kurama smiled, and repeated his question. "I'm going to call my mother and let her know where I am, okay?" Madison nodded. "Sure. There's a phone in my bedroom. I'll show you." She led him through the door and up the stairs into her bedroom. "It's on the desk." She pointed, idly opening some of the windows around the room. She returned downstairs, browsing through the movies in the living room. "Huh?" She grabbed a DVD, flipping it over. "Memoirs of a Geisha, huh? Whatevs." She popped it into the DVD player and turned the TV on. Her blue eyes looked up and met Kurama's as he came back down. "So we're all set?" He shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately, I forgot that I had a previous engagement, so I must go home."

"Oh." Madison shrugged, resting her hands on her hips. "I guess we can do a movie night some other time. And maybe invite Yusuke and Kuwabara, too." She pasted a smile on her face, walking him out to the door. "Cya tomorrow!" She waved at his retreating back, then closed and locked the door. She felt a slight disturbance at being alone again, but shook it off. "Baby…" She muttered, flopping down on the couch and starting the movie.

It was about nine-thirty before Rina arrived back the house, sopping wet. It had started pouring down about an hour or two before. She shook some of the water out of her hair, walking into the kitchen and dropping her keys on the wooden island in the middle. She pulled off her jacket and hung it over the chair back, walking slowly into the living room. "Madison?" She called, stopping as she suddenly caught sight of the girl. A smile graced Rina's tired face as her eyes fell upon Madie. She was stretched out on her right side on the couch, her eyes closed as she slept peacefully. Rina grabbed a blanket and pulled it over the teen, gently brushing some hair out of the girl's face. "Sleep well." She whispered, flicking off the lights.

It was later that same night; Madison awoke slowly. It took a few minutes for her dull senses to register that there was a pair of very red eyes staring quite closely at hers. Her mouth opened in a scream, but a cold hand was clamped very tightly over her mouth. "Don't scream!" A voice hissed, and Madie calmed down ever so slightly as she realized it was Hiei. "Are you going to scream?" He demanded, his grip not loosening at all on her jaw. Madison slowly moved her head back and forth, and was relieved to have his hand removed from over her mouth. _'I'm never gonna get used to having them here.'_ Her thought, rubbing her eyes groggily. "Why are you here and what do you want?" She asked, yawning tiredly, wanting to snuggle back up against the pillow.

"Kurama was here earlier, was he not?" Hiei questioned, crossing his arms. Madison nodded, her eyelid drooping slightly. "Yeah, what of it?" She rubbed the back of her head, looking at the clock on the wall. "And again, why are you here, at **two o'clock in the morning**!" Her voice was irritated, but that was nearly overwhelmed by the drowsiness in her voice. Hiei ignored her irritation. "Kurama never made it home." He stated simply; Madison growled in her throat. "Why are you so worried, it's not like you're his gay lover or anything." Hiei glared daggers at her. "No, but I can't allow him to go get himself killed by Kuroda either."

Madison's eyes widened a little; that name. Something about it was sparking her memory. "Wa-wa-wa-wa-wait. Kuroda? Demon, Kuroda? Evil demon, Kuroda?" Hiei raised an eyebrow, nodding sagely. Madison stared down at her hands. _'It…it's a coincidence…it has to be…my character from that story can't be…real…well, as real as this world gets…can it?'_ She lifted her head and met Hiei's eyes. "Let's go." She threw off the blankets. Hiei raised an eyebrow. "_You're_ not going anywhere. I just wanted to know if Kurama said he was going anywhere after this except back home." Madison's jaw dropped, and she stared openly at him. "Not going anywhere? Listen buddy, I don't have time to explain, but if he's anything like what I think he is, then I know this demon and what he can be capable of, and if we don't move fast, we're going to have a very dead Kurama on our hands! Now, just accept my help and I can help point you in the right direction!"

Hiei sighed. Having a human along would mean extra baby-sitting, but then again if she did know something, that was more than he knew. Besides, her knowing about this demon was rather curious, and it'd probably be better if he kept a eye on her. "Fine." He agreed; Madison was already slipping her shoes on and grabbing a jacket. "Let's go!" She was completely awake, the drowsiness of moments ago entirely forgotten.

Going through the portal was a rush, Madison had to admit when they finally reached the demon world. He brushed against her arm as he walked past, his katana loose, and Madison could feel his muscles tensed. "Is it really that dangerous here?" She asked, no clue as to why she was whispering. Hiei sent her an annoyed look. "Hn." He gave as his response, walking forward. Madison gave a small "eep!" and hurried to catch up to him, her eyes darting around. He stopped suddenly, causing her to run into him. "That way." He pointed; Madison raised an eyebrow. "You feel his energy signature or something?" Hiei gave her an irritated look, saying his usual phrase as an answer "hn."

He took one step, but Madison grabbed his cloak. "Wait." Hiei gave her a questioning look. _'Okay girly, how would he take care of this?' _Madison gulped. Okay, creating a character for a story was one thing. Coming here and having that character 'come to life', so to speak, was completely different. _'Think girl, think!'_ She chided herself, trying to force her brain to move faster. "We need to move about ten kilometers that way before heading after them." Hiei eyed her for a minute; if she was trustworthy and really did know what she was talking about, now was a time to put it to the test. He 'hn'ed, grabbing her rather roughly and running; at his speed. Madison put up no struggle, probably because she had wanted to come along and it would be useless anyway, but her face burned with embarrassment. This wasn't exactly something she was used to happening all that often.

After about half an hour and cramping muscles on Madison's part, Hiei finally came to a stop, setting her down on the branch he was standing on. _I got us directly ahead of them. Stay here, don't move, got it? _Madison appeared a little bit startled as she heard Hiei's voice in her head, but then she remembered his jagan. "Hai." She whispered, clinging to the trunk of the tree. Hiei jumped, disappearing quickly.

It was the longest two minutes Madison had ever spent. The seconds seemed to stretch on as long as hours, and she could feel sweat forming on her brow. Suddenly, the small opening between the trees exploded with activity, nearly causing the girl to lose her grip on the tree. But she regained her balance, watching as the fight continued below. Kurama and Hiei were coming at the demon from both sides, and unspoken agreement apparently, but even with both of them working, the opponent wasn't going down without a fight. Madie gasped and her stomach churned as blood began painting the trees and ground. Bile rose in her throat, and she struggled to keep it down. Just then, her blue eyes locked with those of the injured demon. A scream ripped from her throat as she saw him leap towards her.

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A/N: Another cliff hanger! _'smacks head against another brick wall'_ Anyhoo, reviews plez, and I hope you liked it! Oh, and for everyone, there are a couple questions I would appreciate getting some feedback about. 1): Does peoples want romance in the story? 2): If so, what pairing? (This would be an OCx? pairing, I'm not going to try and deal with anymore right now)


	5. Chapter 5: Conditions

A/N: Okay, I know it's taken forever to get up, but chapter five is here at last! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**Chapter Five**

The demon only made it halfway before being sliced to pieces by Kurama's rose whip. Madison's heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest, and her knees felt weak. "Madison, are you alright?" Kurama called, breathing heavily, but appearing untouched. Madison nodded slowly, taking deep breaths to try and

calm herself. "Yeah." She forced her legs to move, sliding down the tree, thankful for her rock climbing experience. She kept a hand on the tree to steady herself, trying not to look at the corpse (pieces) on the ground. Hiei bent down and wiped his katana off before sheathing it. Kurama's rose whip had dissipated, and came over to her. "Why are you here?" He asked curiously.

A few minutes later, Madison was seated cross-legged at the bottom of the tree, stripping grass blades. "This isn't what I signed up for…" She muttered, keeping her eyes on the task at hand. Hiei and Kurama had stepped out of sight to discuss something. _'Coming here wasn't supposed to be so…so frightening…and I was supposed to be brave-save-the-day-type-superhero…and I wasn't supposed to be so scared of blood…and demons…and so homesick…and so…'_ "Damn it all!" She slammed her fist down onto the ground, stirring up some of the dust. But soon she leaned back against the tree, closing her eyes. "Wasn't supposed to be…but I am…" She whispered, feeling tired and lonely. "I'm gonna talk to Koenma tomorrow." She said resolutely.

"Talk to Koenma about what?" Kurama asked, standing in front of her. Madison shrugged, pushing herself onto her feet. "Nothin'. Are we going back now?" Kurama let it go, chuckling. "Yeah. I'll take you back this time." Kurama took her back to her own house, going into her bedroom by way of the open window. "Arigatoo." She stepped back, smiling. "I'll see you at school tomorrow." He nodded and left; Madison closed the windows. A feeling of overwhelming tiredness swept over her, and she looked at the clock: 3:30. "If you dare come to me again in the middle of the night I'll slaughter you Hiei." She mumbled her threat as she fell tiredly onto the bed.

**Next morning…**

-BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP-

Madison was jerked roughly back into consciousness by the annoying beeping. "Shutit." She grumbled, pulling the pillow over her head; no help.

-BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP-

"Isaidshutitgoshdarnit!" She snarled, opening the top drawer of the nightstand and shoving the annoying thing in, then shutting the drawer. It muffled the noise slightly, but it still wasn't not gone entirely. "For heaven's sake!" She threw the pillow off, barely missing the lamp on the table. "Alright! Fine! I'm up! Happy!" She opened the drawer, jerking the infuriating thing out, glowering at it. Her eyes narrowed as it continued to beep. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were mocking me. You are, aren't you!" points an accusing finger at it " I'll show you mocking, you-!" Her next words were lost as she began to try and smother it with the pillows and blankets. The incessant beeping (obviously) continued, doing nothing to soothe her ruffled feathers. A fire lit in her eyes, and she began trying to strangle it with the sheets.

"Madison?"

Madison turned her head around as she heard Rina's voice coming from behind her. Rina was standing at the top of the stairs, a hand on her hip, watching the scene playing out with obvious amusement. "You could try just turning it off." She suggested, turning and walking back down the stairs. Madie blinked a few times before slowly untwisting the sheets and pressing the off button on the alarm clock. Silence reigned, and she carefully placed it back on the nightstand. "I knew there was something familiar about you…" She muttered at the offending object, beginning to straighten the bed. Once the bed was made, she slipped into her white school uniform, grabbed her backpack and hairbrush and leapt down the stairs. She dropped her bag at the front door, and re-entered the kitchen, brushing her hair.

"So, did you win?" Rina asked, sipping her coffee; Madison anime sweatdropped. "Eh, yeah. I was the clear favorite, yah know." She smirked and poured herself a bowl of cereal. "Can't beat cereal in the morning." She purred, settling down onto the stool. Rina finished off her coffee, setting the cup in the sink. "Hurry up, Madie. We leave in five." Madison made some sort of a choking-gurgling noise as a response.

They pulled up in front of the school in approximately fifteen minutes; Madison was still pulling on her shoes. She rolled down the window as Kurama walked over, smiling. "Good morning." He said politely. Madison hurried to make introductions. "Rina this is my friend Shuiichi. Shuiichi, this is Rina." As their hands met, Kurama said "Pleased to meet you." Rina had a twinkle in her eye, and she knew Madison saw it. "Likewise. Madie has told me so much about you." She was smirking, and Madison shot a glare at her_. 'Tis as bad as being at home!'_ Her face fell a little at the thought, but she quickly recovered. "Don't you have a shift to be getting on?" Madison commented dryly, detangling herself from the seatbelt as Kurama opened the door for her. "Arigatoo." She mumbled, pulling her backpack out before the door shut.

"What time you gonna be off?" She asked Rina, slinging the bag onto her back. Rina looked at her watch, calculating. "Probably about five today. Have fun at school!" She waved and drove off. Madison turned and fell into step next to Kurama. Neither one said a word, but it was a pleasant silence rather than an awkward one. "What classes do you have with me?" Kurama asked, breaking the silence as they strolled into the building. Madison shrugged, trying to remember where exactly her locker was located. She followed absent-mindedly as Kurama led her down one of the hallways. "Yesterday after I came in…we turned….I ran into him, and…" She 'meep'ed and stopped in her tracks, a flush beginning to creep into her cheeks. Kurama stopped and turned around. "Is something the matter?" He asked with concern, noting the flush in her cheeks.

She had an urge to laugh and cry at the same time. Kurama came back over, worry evident on his face at her paleness. "Maybe you should go back home." He suggested, thinking of the episode yesterday. Madison finally found control of herself once again and quickly shook her head. "No, I just realized that…that yesterday I never found out where my locker is." She smiled embarrassedly, glad that the blush was retreating. "Oh." Kurama smiled in relief. "That can easily be rectified. Have you already been assigned a locker?" He asked; Madison reached behind herself and pulled out a handful of papers. "Umm…this one." She pointed at one of the papers, and Kurama nodded. "I know where that is, follow me."

Once she had managed to open her locker and drop her stuff off, she followed Shuiichi to his own down the next hallway. How they could move so silently when there was so many of them, she would never figure out. But nonetheless, a crowd of fan girls came down the hallway, managing somehow to catch Madison's arm and drag her into the midst of them. "Hey!" She yelped, feeling herself being dragged away. The girls stopped in the next hallway, backing her up to the wall and crowding around her. "Who do you think you are, hanging around Shuiichi like that?" One of the girls demanded, stepping forward. She had long black hair and violet eyes. "Piece of advice." Another girl stepped forward. This one had long chocolate colored hair and bright blue eyes. "Stay away from Shuiichi, okay?" Madison couldn't help it: she began giggling.

The girls looked at each, and then turned their glares back on her. "What's so funny!" The girl with black hair demanded, clenching her fists. Madison opened her mouth at first to say "because you guys are actually real", but thought better of that. "Because you guys would have absolutely no chance with him, and yet you are trying to intimidate me into staying away from him. Riiight. Go bug some ants or something. They're about your size, in brains..." She tried to leave, but they pushed her back up against the wall. "Don't get fresh with us!" The blue-eyed girl snapped, crossing her arms angrily. " You WILL stay away from Shuiichi, or there WILL be consequences, savvy?" Madison snorted, feeling irritation sweep over her. "Look, girls, I don't give a damn what you guys do or don't want me to do. If I want to hang around Shuiichi, I'll hang around Shuiichi. If I want to date Shuiichi, I'll flippin' date Shuiichi!" Her face was darkening, and she gripped the strap of her bag.

"Excuse me." It was Shuiichi's voice, and all heads turned towards it. "Shuiichi-kun!" The blue-eyes girl pushed through to the front of the crowd facing him. "You needn't worry we're taking care of your-"

"I'd appreciate it if you would leave her alone."

All eyes except Madison's stared at him. "But Shuiichi, we were just-" The blue-eyed girl began cooing, making Madison sick to her stomach. Shuiichi ignored the girl, striding through the group over to Madison. "Come on." He murmured, taking her arm and pulling her through the crowd. Madison followed obediently, smiling sweetly back at them. Once out of sight, she sighed. "Well, I just made some new friends." Kurama chuckled, sitting down on the front steps. "Indeed. But I don't think you've got too much to worry about from them. I think you look like you can handle yourself." Madison chuckled, following his lead and sitting down next to him. "Yeah, sure. They're just a bunch of sissies anyway." Kurama shrugged. "You may want to watch your step anyway. They-"

"Don't exactly take kindly to other girls hanging around you, I know." She chuckled, hugging her arms to herself. It was a little bit colder outside than she had anticipated, and she had forgotten a jacket; the uniform she was forced to wear didn't help much either. "Are you cold?" Kurama asked concernedly. Madison found a slight blush creep into her cheeks, but she pushed it down as she shook her head. "No….well…maybe a little…"

"Would you like a jacket? I have one in my locker." Kurama offered. Madie was on the verge of saying no, but a sudden gust of wind changed the balance. "Yes!" She yelped, goose bumps running up her legs and arms. Kurama hopped up, disappearing back into the building. Madison rocked back and forth, trying to keep her teeth from chattering; too badly, at least. The minutes ticked past, and finally Kurama came back out of the doors. He was slightly out of breath indicating he'd been running. "Found your fanclub again, ne?" She commented dryly. Kurama nodded, settling the jacket around her shoulders. Madison used her hands to pull it further around herself, a sigh escaping her lips as she felt the warm begin to soak into her skin. "Thanks." _'Hey, it smells like Kurama!'_ A smile crept onto her face as she inhaled the now-familiar scent. For some reason, she felt a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing that she was wearing his jacket. _'Stop that! You'll be going home soon anyway!'_ She brought herself out of her thoughts, realizing Kurama was watching her.

"What?" She asked, curiosity abounding. Kurama looked like he was debating for a minute before shaking his head. "Nothing." He leaned backwards on his elbows, seeming to rather enjoy the cold air. "Freakin' kitsune…" Madie muttered, pulling the jacket tighter around herself. She felt a prickle on the back of her neck, and she slowly turned her head till she could see the doors out of the corner of her eye. _'Hmm..they're back…'_ She grinned evilly, a plot formulating in her mind. If they're gonna be suspicious of something going on between her and Shuiichi, why not give them something tangible to mull on, eh? She turned and faced forward again. "Say Kurama, how'd you like to get rid of some of your fanclubs?" She murmured. It was so cliché, every fan fic did it, but still, she just couldn't resist. Kurama raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?" He asked quietly, sitting up. Madison suddenly leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Just go with it." She whispered, feeling him tense as she did so.

Kurama slowly relaxed, even going so far as to put his arm around her shoulder. She could feel the hatred oozing out of the building behind them, but it only heightened her urge to giggle uncontrollably. "What exactly are we trying to accomplish?" He had to ask, curiosity getting the better of him. Madison, still playing, leaned up and kissed his cheek. "One of two things: either we mess with their minds for just right now, or whenever we're at school we give off the impression of being boyfriend and girlfriend. You gotta admit, it'd rid you of some of your problems, wouldn't it?" Kurama debated about it. It had been getting troublesome, especially since there were several dances coming up, and the girls were really getting out of hand trying to convince him to go with one of them. This just might solve his problems. "Alright." He finally agreed, not sure what exactly he was getting himself into.

"Good." She stood up, pulling him onto his feet. She laced her fingers with his, following him into the building. As he led her down the hallway, she could feel the seething anger; mostly directed at her. "Let's see you mess with me now!" She wanted to say, but knew better than to do that. It would only result in a full out brawl, and she had enough problems on her plate as is. He left her at her first class, giving her a wink. She turned to walk to three steps to the door, but was stopped by an angry mob of fan girls. "What was that!" The girl with black hair from earlier demanded angrily, looming over her. Madison sighed, smirking. "We weren't going to make it official yet, but Shuiichi and I are dating." She smiled mock sympathetically, pushing past them and into the classroom.

The school day passed fast enough, and soon it ended. After collecting their things Madison and Kurama headed down the street, holding hands until they were out of sight. Madison pulled her hand out of his, beginning to laugh uncontrollably. Kurama watched her as she gasped for breath, leaning against a wall. "G-gomen..." She gasped between breaths, holding her sides. "I just... they're faces!" She chuckled again, her laughter turning into a coughing fit from lack of air. Kurama patted her awkwardly on the back, chuckling quietly to himself. He had to admit, Madie's plan would give him at least some peace for a time.

Madison found oxygen again within a few minutes, straightening up. "I think I've recovered now." She brushed absently at her clothes, picking her bag up again. "Pretending we're going out will really give them something to talk about for a while, won't it?" She felt a strange pang go through her heart at the words she uttered, but she ignored it. "Well, where to, my house or yours?" She asked brightly. Kurama thought a moment. "I believe I should return you home." Madie fell in step beside him. "Rina's home, at any rate." She muttered under her breath, feeling another pang through her heart. "Oh yeah!" She stopped dead in her tracks, smacking her forehead. "Would you be willing to take me to see Koenma?" She asked, smiling pleadingly. Kurama seemed slightly taken aback at her request, but nodded. "If you wish."

Kurama politely waited outside of the door as the human talked with the Spirit World ruler. Snatches of their conversation drifted to Kurama's ear, no matter how much he tried not to eavesdrop.

"You did begin it." Came Koenma's semi-raised voice. Silence. Apparently they were both talking quietly again. The fox couldn't help it, it was just too...enticing. He shifted closer to the door, pretending to pay attention to the Biology book in his hands. His ears twitched as he strained for any sounds of the happenings within the office.

"Koenma, you brat! You have no right to do this to me!" Madison sounded like she was screaming, apparently having gotten over her fear of the toddler, or just too angry to care.

"It's a perfectly fair exchange. You help me, and I help you." Came Koenma's strained, but calmer, vocal sounds.

"FAIREXCHANGEMYFOOT! YOU EXPECT ME TO RISK MY LIFE JUST SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS AND ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING FOR ONCE!"

"Now now, let's not get violent..."

The sound of something shattering against the wall made Kurama jerk as the harsh sound met his sensitive ears. It was something of a wake up for him, however, and he quickly resumed his studies, ashamed of himself for having eavesdropped. (A/N: Not that he could really have helped hearing the conversation, considering they were shouting...xP)

Madison burst out of the room moments later, her face and eyes stormy. "Let's go." She muttered darkly, jerking her bag up onto her shoulder. Kurama complacently gathered up his own things, casting one final glance into Koenma's office. He was surprised to see the prince picking up a shard of glass with blood on it, smirking. "OGRE!" The toddler shouted; Kurama would have loved to have stayed, but he dared not linger any longer considering the mood Madison was in.

The fox quickly returned them to the human world, inside her house to be exact. Madie had calmed down slightly, and absent-mindedly slipped off her shoes. "Leave your bags at the door." She muttered, entering the kitchen. Kurama followed her instructions obediently, then following her into the kitchen. She had the refrigerator open and was glaring at the contents contained within. "Help yourself to some food if you like." She shut the door. Kurama had almost been expecting her to slam it, but she seemed to have herself on a tight leash and closed it very gently. He could, however, see the tension and rigidity in her whole body, as well as the dark anger in her blue eyes. "You need to talk." It was really more of a statement than a question; he spoke softly as to not upset her further.

Madison shook her head slowly. "No. I just need to..." She trailed off, not sure exactly what she needed. Kurama felt the awkward silence hastening in, and he hurried to halt it's invasion. "Where's the first aid kit? We should get those cuts taken care of."

**Four hours later...**

Madison was standing at the top of her white steps, her hand still hanging on shiny rail. Her raging eyes surveyed the room sullenly. The rage she had been suppressing had begun to resurface now that Kurama had gone back home. Her mind replayed her conversation with Koenma.

FLASHBACK

"Hello again Koenma." Madison said respectfully, sitting in the chair he motioned towards. He didn't say anything, currently in the process of writing some kind of report. He finished, stamped the paper, and stuck it in a file. "Now then, Miss Madison, what can I do for you? I had not expected to see you here." Madison took a deep breath. "I know...I just wanted to know if you've figured out how to send me home yet." She sucked in her breath, hoping against hope that his answer would be yes. Koenma shuffled some paperwork. "As a matter of fact, I have." He answered.

Madison's eyes lit up, and she felt her heart skip a beat. "Really? When can I go home?" She was sitting on the edge of her seat, her body quivering with anticipation. Koenma sighed, knowing full well what was going to come. "I'm afraid I can't tell you unless-"

"What!" Madison's eyes were bulging, and she nearly fell out of her chair. "But why won't you-"

"UNLESS!" Koenma interrupted her, glaring slightly at the interruption. "Unless you're willing to help us get rid of Kuroda, whom I believe you are acquainted with." Madie's eyes narrowed. _'You're dead Hiei!'_ "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." She crossed her arms, daring him to contradict her. "Deny it if you wish. That doesn't change the fact that that is my condition for me helping you get home." Madison could feel tears and anger rising up in her chest at his response. "I'm no demon fighter! That's what Kurama, Hiei, Kuwabara, and Yusuke are for, are they not? Send them after him. I'm not made for fighting! Demons." She hastily corrected, clenching her fists. Koenma smiled irritatingly. "You did begin it." Koenma's voice had risen a little, and he hastened to correct it. "All it requires is a little bit of patience on your part. You get rid of the demon, and then you get to return to your dear family. It's a fair exchange."

"That's anything but fair! I could die on this mission!"

Koenma sighed. "Listen up, kid. You have three options. 1, you could just help. 2, you could be stubborn, and live out the rest of your days here. 3, you could be stubborn, and I could throw in the Spirit World prison until you decide to listen to reason."

"Koenma, you brat! You have no right to do this to me!" Madison could feel the anger flowing through her veins. Ruler of Spirit World or not, no one should have the kind of power he had.

"It's a perfectly fair exchange. You help me, and I help you." Koenma's voice was slightly strained, but not much.

"FAIREXCHANGEMYFOOT! YOU EXPECT ME TO RISK MY LIFE JUST SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS AND ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING FOR ONCE!" Madison's eyes were flaring and darting around the room, searching for something sharp or very breakable.

"Now now, let's not get violent..." Koenma sweat dropped at the look in her eyes.

Her eyes lit upon a glass vase, and she lunged towards it. Koenma leapt towards the door, only to have the angry human girl lunge towards him, the vase raised above her head. He dodged out of the way at the last second; she didn't have time to stop, and the vase and her arms crashed into the wall. Blood dripped from the several small cuts on her hand, and her arm felt numb as she turned towards Koenma. "Next time I won't miss." She spat, stalking out of the room.  
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A/N: Okay peoples, you know the drill: REVIEW!


	6. Chapter 6: Developments

A/N: Okay, so I know it took a little while for me to get the next chapter up. But I had a little bit of writers block. Not completely….Anyway, here it is, chapter six!

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**Chapter Six**

'_It's been three months since I blew up in Koenma's office. Kuroda seems to have disappeared off the face of this world, and even I, his creator, have no idea of where he is. I kinda didn't get that far in the story…I still wish I could go home. It's not so bad, since I have the boys and Rina, but it's just not home. I've been having nightmares lately, about home. My home. My heart aches to think of what that brat Koenma, who deigns to call himself a prince, is demanding from me in exchange for a little bit of information! On another note, Kurama asked me out! Okay, not exactly, but close to. We agreed to be 'special friends'. He didn't wanna move it beyond that, since I'm gonna be going home soon……………… On yet another note, I'm beginning to get worried. I've been seeing the 'other me' a lot lately. I can't quite bring myself to tell any of the boys, but they're bound to find out sooner or later'_ Madison stopped writing in her journal, looking up as she heard the doorbell ringing downstairs. "Ack! Who could that be!" She scrambled off her bed, shoving her journal under the pillow before scurrying down the stairs. "I'm coming!" She yelled, trying her very best to avoid the obstacles contained in the kitchen such as the small island and fridge. Her socks caught on the rug, and she face-planted into the door with a 'thud'.

"Madison?" She could hazily hear someone's concerned voice coming through the door. "Itai..." She murmured, standing up, rubbing the rapidly forming bruise on her forehead. She blinked a few times to bring everything back into focus before gripping the handle and opening the door. "Ohayoo gozaimau!" She threw her arms around him, her heart fluttering a little at the scent of roses wafting into her nose. Kurama chuckled, embracing her back. "Good morning to you too."

Madison drew back, grinning. "Can I help it if someone decided to skip school yesterday and so I didn't get to see you?" She turned and walked back towards the kitchen, all thoughts of her bruise or forehead completely fleeing from her mind. Kurama shut the door, following after her. "Are you really trying to say you can't go one day without seeing me?" He teased, leaning against the 'island' in the kitchen. Madie, bending to look in the fridge, could feel the blush rising into her cheeks. "Well I just…you don't usually….OUCH!" She exclaimed, having tried to stand up when she hadn't quite cleared the top door.

'_Smooth move, city slicker: about as smooth as nails on a chalkboard!'_ She mocked herself, rubbing the back of her head. Aloud she said "Great, now I have a bruise on the back of my head **as well** as one on my forehead! This day is just turning out great." She grumbled, glaring at the refrigerator as it acted all innocent.

"So the thump on the front door _was_ you face-planting into it, eh?" Kurama smirked at her.

"I can't help if the mat decided to jump up and-" She stopped mid-sentence, glaring as she could clearly read the laughter in his green eyes. "Stop mocking me!" She yelped, pointing an accusing finger. "Now why would I do that?" Kurama rested his chin on the palm of his hand, smirking innocently. Madison glared at him playfully. "Just because you find me amusing does not mean that I have no brain!" Kurama's eyes narrowed.

"What is it Ku-" Madison was cut off by Kurama lunging forward, grabbing her arm, and throwing her behind himself. "What the he-!" She crashed against the wall, headfirst. "Owwww…." She groaned. It took her a minute before she'd quite fully recovered and was able to push herself up enough to look over her shoulder. "Kurama, what in the heavens name do you…." She trailed off, her eyes meeting a pair of yellow orbs. "We meet again, little one." Kuroda said, laughter dancing in his eyes. "I'm glad I did not frighten you off."

**_'Let me out!'_**

Madie jerked; it was that (demanding) voice again! Definitely not Hiei's, but who else's could it be! Kurama turned around, his eyes widening when they fell on her, but he quickly turned his attention back onto the dangerous demon at hand. "What do you want here?" The red head's voice was calm, as always, yet still dangerous. Kuroda chuckled, pulling the black cloak tighter around his body. "I have no quarrel with you, Youko Kurama," – Kurama stiffened slightly – "merely business with her."

'_**If you don't let me out, so help me you'll regret it!'**_

Madison twitched. '_Whoever you are, will you just shut the heck up!'_

'_**If you don't let me out, I swear you WILL REGRET IT!'**_

While Madison struggled with her inner turmoil, Kurama stepped between Kuroda and Madison. "I'm afraid I can't let you harm her, and I can't let you leave, either."

Madison's eyes widened. _'What are you saying, Kurama! Don't be a fool, you have no backup. You can't take him alone!'_ She tried to stand up, but found she was still woozy from hitting her head against the wall. She collapsed again, blinking her eyes to clear her vision. Kurama reached into his hair. "Rose-" He was cut off by Kuroda's fist, glowing blue, suddenly connecting with the boy's abdomen. The red head flew spiraling backwards, crashing through the kitchen windows. Madie gasped as the glass shattered, but she had no time to dwell upon it as the demon began striding over to her. He bent down, bringing his face close to hers. "You're coming with me, Akane." He took her arm, dragging her onto her feet.

Madison felt the same feeling of intoxication and weakness come over her as before. _'Why did he call me "Akane"?'_ She wondered, feeling fear clutch at her heart.

'_**Baka! Are you going to let him take you that easily!'**_

The strange voice continued to scream in Madison's mind, not really helping the situation much. Kuroda's face suddenly darkened, and he jerked Madison in front of him. She didn't have time to wonder at this as something sliced across her right arm. It felt like a thousand scalpels dipped in salt and alcohol slicing into her skin all at once. An ear-splitting scream ripped from her throat, and tears jumped into her eyes. She heard Kuroda gasp and stagger backwards, letting go of her as her clutched at his (scream-stricken) ears. Her knees started to crumple, and she stumbled forward, holding her arm close to her body. She tripped over her own feet, falling onto her knees.

Kuroda growled, glaring at her. "I should kill you right now!" He snapped, taking one step forward.

"Move only if you wish to die. Painfully."

Madison looked up through her teary eyes as Kurama's voice penetrated the air. He was standing a little bit in front of her, and some sort of plant was coming through the back door. It hovered around, although what exactly it was waiting for she couldn't be sure. She started to stand, but Kurama motioned for her not to. "It cares not about whether you're ally or enemy." He said quietly, knowing the meaning would get across to her. She stopped moving immediately, biting her lip as the pain in her arm swelled. Kuroda growled in annoyance. "I shan't test your abilities just yet." He straightened, regaining his composure. "But remember this: don't let your guard down. Ever."

Madison braced herself as the air around her began rushing as if something had exploded. When she opened her eyes, Kuroda and the plants were gone, but nothing else had changed. Kurama turned around, and Madie's eyes strayed immediately to his stomach. "Ohmygosh!" She exclaimed, paling slightly as she saw the blood staining his shirt. Kurama waved his hands dismissively, crouching down in front of her. "It's alright, it looks worse than it is. Besides, I-" "Heal faster than normal people. I forgot that there for a minute." Madison finished for him. Kurama nodded, concern appearing on his face and in his eyes. "Let me see your arm."

Madison moved her arm towards him, unable to contain the whimper that escaped her lips as pain shot up her arm. Kurama held her arm, looking at the damage he'd inflicted. "Gomennasai, Madison. I had no idea he would react that fast or that way."

Madison smiled, drawing in a shaky breath and forcing back any stray tears. "Don't worry about it." Kurama stood up and took her over to the couch. He fetched the first aid kit, beginning to clean the wounds. Madison looked the other way, flinching as the peroxide 'stung' it's way into her wounds, cleaning them. She gritted her teeth as Kurama carefully swabbed the wounds, ending by wrapping a bandage around her arm. Madie looked back only after she was sure the wounds were hidden. The pain was down to a dull ache, and she smiled gratefully at him. "Sankyu." She murmured, blowing some green hair out of her face absent-mindedly. "I should probably get that window cleaned up and get my excuses straight for when Rina gets back." She started to stand up.

"Wait."

Madison paused, looking at him curiously. "Yes?"

Kurama breathed deep, closing the kit. "Do you mind explaining why you suddenly have green hair, green eyes, and a demonic aura?"

Madison paused, the confusion evident on her face. "Huh?" She reached up with her good arm and pulled some hair into her view. "O-oh. It happened again…" She let the hair fall back into place, not meeting Kurama's gaze. He just sat there, waiting for an explanation. Madie shifted uncomfortably. "Well….actually…uhhh…." She rubbed her bandaged right arm without thinking, wincing at the sudden pressure. "I really don't know." She said quietly, looking up at him. "It just…happens…"

Kurama furrowed his brows. _'More than likely she has a demon inside her, but if she really is from a world without demons, how could she….'_ He let his thought trail off, standing up. "I'll talk to Koenma about it later. Let's get the house cleaned up, and then I'll take you and we'll meet up with the others for something to eat, okay?" He smiled, trying to cheer her up; she was still somewhat pale and shaken from the earlier attack. Madison nodded, hoping this transformation would go away soon. She couldn't leave the house looking like this! They had the glass cleaned up pretty soon, mostly due to Kurama. Although the girl would never admit it, her arm was paining her quite a bit.

Kurama was still berating himself for having injured her after she went upstairs to change. "If only I'd been a little more careful…" He sighed, leaning on the counter. If Kuroda hadn't moved her just right, the rose whip probably would have hit her chest, and… Kurama shuddered to think of the outcome.

"You okay Kurama?" Madison asked concernedly. She had slipped into some jeans and a close fitting white t-shirt. Flip flops and a make-shift sling for her injured arm completed her outfit. Kurama was slightly relieved to see that her hair had turned back to its normal color, along with her eyes. "I'm fine." He pushed himself off the counter, banishing his previous thoughts to the furthest corner of his mind.

"Sure you're not feeling any ill effects from your injury, at all?"

Kurama smiled at her, meeting her gaze. "I assure you, I am perfectly alright."

It took about twenty minutes for them to get over to the mall. They sat down and waited for the others to show up. Five minutes into the waiting Madison was looking around humming quietly to herself. By ten minutes she was swaying back and forth while humming loudly and watching the people walking around her. By fifteen minutes she was leaning towards the table. Having convinced Kurama to lay his hands out flat on the table she was entertaining herself by drawing invisible designs on them, curling and uncurling his fingers, etc.

"Hey, Shuiichi!"

Kurama looked up, smiling as Yusuke (who had done the shouting) and Kuwabara came into view. They ran over to the table, grinning. "Hey, what happened to you!" Kuwabara exclaimed, staring at Madison's injured arm. Kurama opened his mouth to speak, but Madison quickly cut in, having lost interest in his hands apparently. "I fell off of a ladder while trying to change a light bulb." She said, grinning sheepishly. Yusuke plopped down in the chair next to her. "That doesn't seem too like you."

Madie chuckled. "It's not entirely my fault…Ku- Shuiichi here decided to surprise me walking through the front door unannounced! What's a girl to do?" She sighed sarcastically, sending Kurama a meaningful look. He was rather curious as to why she lied, but ran with it. "You merely don't remember my informing you last night of my intentions." He said with dignity. Madison rolled her eyes. "Sure, like I'm really supposed to remember that kind of information at eleven o'clock at night, hmm?" She rolled her eyes, then suddenly realized Yusuke and Kuwabara were staring at the two of them. "Wipe those smirks off your faces!" She snapped playfully.

"I'll get us some food." Kurama offered, standing up. Madison leaned back in her chair, glad that the throbbing in her arm was over. "Oi, Yusuke, we still have a play-date for the arcade?" She asked. Yusuke raised and eyebrow. "You sure you wanna play with your arm like that? It doesn't seem quite fair to you." Madison smirked, sitting up straighter. "There are games in there that don't require the use of both arms, smarty. Besides, even with one arm out of commission I'll still beat you!"

A heated discussion veered from this, mostly between Yusuke and Madison. Kuwabara had gotten up to look at some jewelry that had caught his eye in a nearby store. (A/N: I wonder who he's thinking about….xP) Kurama returned, holding a tray, to find Yusuke and Madison in the midst of an arm wrestling contest. The red head stopped, watching the two of them amusedly.

Various muscles in Madison's face were twitching as she strained against the force coming through Yusuke's arm. "Damn…" She grumbled, relaxing her muscles to the point that she could give one final thrust. Yusuke, having done this with her before, was quite aware of her strategy. He took the initiative and doubled his pressure, slamming her hand back onto the table. "HA!" He shouted triumphantly. Madie stuck her tongue out at him, recoiling her arm and injured pride. "I let you win to save your dignity…" She muttered, casting dark looks in his direction. Yusuke rolled his eyes. "You're just a sore loser."

Madison's eyes widened. "I am not, you-mph!" Kurama had set down the tray and clamped a hand over her mouth simultaneously, smiling pleasantly. "I think we've established that Yusuke won." Madison sent him a seething glare, but he pretended not to notice. Yusuke shrugged, crossing his arms momentarily before he remembered the sustenance that his teammate had brought with him. While Yusuke was busy eating, Kurama turned to Madison and slowly removed his hand. "Are we done now?" He asked.

Madison's eyes narrowed. "Not by a long shot, buster."

"You want any of that food there?"

"Are you saying you'll stop me?"

"If I must."

Madison slumped in her chair slightly, her arm hitting the chair a little harder than she had intended. Pain shot up her arm, and tears sprang unbidden into her eyes. "Madison?" Kurama asked worriedly. She shook her head, working hard to control herself. "I'm fine. Just bumped my arm." She grinned reassuringly, looking towards the table. "Oi, Yusuke! Save some food for us, pig!" Kurama sighed, knowing she would never 'fess up, even it if it really had hurt.

At the arcade, much to the mortification of Madison's pride, she lost by quite a bit. Kuwabara beat her as well, but not by as much. Walking out, Madison sighed in defeat. Yusuke grinned, coming over and poking her. "Say it. Say who won." Purely out of reflex, Madison's arm shot up, backhanding him quite effectively. He stumbled back, a red mark on his cheek. "Think over your words a little bit harder next time." She said primly, walking forward next to Kurama. Kuwabara was laughing. "Maybe that'll teach you a lesson Urameshi!"

"Oh yeah!" Yusuke yelled. Madison and Kurama didn't have to look to know what was going on behind them. Madison chuckled, slowing down slightly so to come around and be on the other side of the red head. She slipped her good arm through his nonchalantly, her eyes browsing over the windows nearby. "I keep expecting to see an anime store somewhere around here." She said randomly. Kurama could hear the underlying sadness in her voice, and he pulled her closer. "It's not so bad here, is it?" He said quietly in her ear. Her head swiveled towards him, and she forced a smile onto her lips. "No. No it's not. Come on, I'm hungry!" She tugged him towards an ice cream stand. Kurama sweat dropped. "You just ate!" He exclaimed in surprise.

Moments later, Madison looked around, licking at her ice cream cone while Kurama paid. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, but didn't have time to react as bullets started flying everywhere. She faintly heard Kurama yelling at her to get down, and she felt him tugging at her arm. It didn't take more than that for her knees to buckle and she slid to the floor, Kurama's arms instantly wrapping around her. Her eyes darted around, hoping she would see some sight of Yusuke and Kuwabara; they were no where to be seen. She gasped as she felt Kurama jerk and the smell of blood hit her nostrils. "Huh!"

"It's nothing." Kurama said, removing one hand and pressing it against the side of his head, where blood was already pouring at a steady rate. His vision was blurry, and he felt light-headed, but he refused to lose consciousness. Madison knew something was wrong, but she didn't dare push it. Not knowing as much about his character as she did. The guns stopped, and she heard voices talking in English; the shooters.

"We need someone to show them we mean business." She heard one gunman saying. A second chimed up. "Let's take that girl over there. The police will probably respond more to a female in danger."

Madison felt her heart skip a beat. Not entirely out of fear for her safety; fear for what would happen to the rest of the people. She felt a rough hand reach and grab her arm, jerking her to her feet. She felt herself being ripped aggressively away from Kurama. "Madison!" She heard him yell. She managed to twist her body enough to see one of the men bring the butt of the rifle down on the back of Kurama's head. He gasped, collapsing onto the floor. "Kurama!" She yelled, struggling against her captor's tight grasp. He dragged her further and further from Kurama, and she could feel the rage building inside her body. "TEME!" She yelled, suddenly bringing her elbow into the man's face. He jerked, obviously not expecting that from her. She simultaneously used one of her legs to knee him on his spine as hard as she could. While she may not have the courage to face up to demons, she would never back down from a human opponent!

The man slammed his rifle into her stomach. Madison felt blood spurt from her mouth, but she kept her head; pulled her injured arm out of the sling and swung it forward with all her might, impacting against the man's throat. She heard him gasp just before he fell to his knees, clutching his throat. There was a fire in her arm, but she had no time to dwell on her victory or the pain, for at that exact moment something blunt came down on the back of her neck. She gasped as a tingling sensation ran through her body, and then she collapsed onto the floor, numb. "That'll teach you to play with the big people." She heard a gritty males voice say from somewhere behind her. She blinked rapidly; her vision was going in and out of focus.

"Get up." The man ordered a few minutes later, grabbing her (right) arm and jerking her roughly onto her feet. Tears sprang unbidden into Madison's eyes, and she bit her lip to stifle the cry rising in her throat at the pain that that sent running through her arm. "Hey, didn't your mother ever teach you any manners?" Yusuke had barely finished speaking before his fist met with the back of the head of the man who was holding Madison. The man crashed into Madie and they both tumbled to the floor. "Eh!" She felt him fall on top of her, crushing her arm between their bodies. "OW!" She yelped, shoving him off of her with her good arm. Arms came around Yusuke's shoulders, restraining him. "Hey!" He howled, thrashing.

Madison forced her body to move and stand up. There were still a good two or three men, not counting this one and the one she had knocked down. Her eyes shifted to the one she had knocked down earlier; he had regained his breath and was standing again. He raised the rifle to his shoulder, aiming. Madison's eyes widened. "Oh-" –gun fires—"SHOOT!" She screamed, squeezing her eyes shut. Minutes passed before she peeked out. The man was laying on the ground, unconscious. Hiei was standing over him, looking slightly perturbed. "Baka." He muttered, his red eyes meeting Madison's frightened blue ones. "You're not hurt, are you?" He asked sarcastically.

Madison quickly snapped out of her daze, running forward and grabbing the rifle. She ignored the screaming in her arm as she turned and dashed in the direction she had been from originally, where Kurama was. But he was nowhere to be seen. "Kurama!" She called, panic showing slightly in her voice.

"Madison!"

She whirled around as she heard Kuwabara's voice, coming face-to-face with one of the shooters. His eyes were wide and somewhat blank as he slowly fell forward. Madison grunted as she felt the sudden weight on her, but only part of it. Kuwabara's head poked over the man's shoulder, and he pulled the body backwards. "Are you okay?" He asked. Madison smiled gratefully. "I'm fine." She turned to be met by the sight of a man aiming a rifle towards Kurama wrestling with one of the men over by one of the stores. "Drop it!" She ordered, pressing the barrel against the man's neck. He tensed as the cold metal pressed into his neck, and slowly put his gun on the ground. Madison motioned for Kuwabara to grab it, not taking her attention off her 'captive' for even a moment.

"Kuwabara, keep an eye on him." She ordered, stepping around the prisoner as Kurama hurried over to her (after having won). "Are you alright?" Kurama demanded, concern evident on his face and in his voice. Madison nodded. "I'm alright." She reassured him, smiling. "Are you?" She looked worriedly at the wound on the side of his head.

"Kurama!"

Both of them looked up at Kuwabara's yell. He was pointing towards Yusuke, whom one of the shooters held at gun point. Kurama responded, running towards his comrade. Madison was about to follow when she say movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned, seeing one of the people getting up. Something seemed to be tugging at her mind, and her eyes widened as she saw several bullet holes in their clothes. _'Wait, if they were shot, they should be dead!'_ She turned and ran after them, dropping the gun on her way. She followed them all the way down the service stairs and into the basement before she lost them. She peered into the darkness ahead of her, all her senses alert for any movement or sounds.

"Greetings, little one."

Madison whirled as a light flicked on. Her hand came up to protect her eyes as the light shone directly in her eyes. "Who's there?" She asked, her voice not quite as strong as she would have hoped.

"Merely the messenger. I figured we'd have more privacy down here than up there with all those people."

Madie was sure the low voice coming from the direction of the light, male or female, she couldn't be sure, wasn't one she had heard before. "What do you want?" She asked, feeling her heartbeat quicken as she heard cloth rustling.

"I come bearing a message from my master. But come now Akane, you're in there somewhere I'm sure of it. Won't you show your face to me again?"

Madison felt something deep inside of her stirring, and the voice in her head returned.

'_**Let me out! This is not someone to be trifled with lightly.'**_

"I will not give up control over my body so readily." Madison said firmly, partially to the voice in her hand and partially to her unseen opponent. _'Even if I knew how.'_ She kept that thought to herself; there was a sigh, and more rustling. "We were afraid of that. If you will not let her out willingly, I'm afraid I shall have to force her out. Tomorrow at 7:27 p.m. Good day, for now."

All Madison felt was a slight breeze, and then the light flicked off, plunging her back into the dark.

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A/N: There ya go peoples! I apologize for any spelling/grammatical/etc. errors that you may have seen. It's nearly midnight, but I really wanted to get this done and up. Sayoonara! 


	7. Chapter 7: Names Revealed

A/N: Yay! Chapter seven is finally here! You wouldn't believe how much time school and homework takes up, ya know? But I finally got it done, so kudos for me!

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**Chapter Seven**

"Look, Madison followed after somebody, presumably one of the shooters just before you guys got here and there's-"

"Sir, we'll find your friend as soon as possible." The officer interrupted Kurama's worried rant, scribbling something down on the paper in front of her before turning and leaving. Sounds drifted from her radio, something about one of the vans having got away with a hostage. Kurama was sitting in a chair, letting one of the medics examined the wounds on his head. He blinked, trying to clear his rapidly blurring vision.

"Hey, Kurama, she'll be okay." Yusuke was seated in a chair close by, holding an ice pack to his knuckles. "Yeah Kurama. She's not exactly helpless." Kuwabara piped up reassuringly, wincing as a paramedic cleaned a cut above his eye. Kurama nodded weakly, his eyes fluttering closed as he slumped down in the chair. "Kurama!" Yusuke yelled, leaping to his friend's side.

"I'm sorry sir; I need you to stay back." A paramedic appeared out of nowhere, pushing Yusuke back to his chair. Two other paramedics were bent over Kurama, yelling out commands for a stretcher and an ambulance. Kuwabara and Yusuke could do nothing but watch as their friend was wheeled out of their sights. _'Kurama…'_ Yusuke sighed, standing up. "Come on Kuwabara. Let's follow them to the hospital."

**Meanwhile, down in the basement…**

Madison banged on the door that she had just managed to find, which was locked. "Hello! Somebody out there? Dammit, HELLO!!" She yelled, banging some more. She waited for what seemed like an eternity, but still there was no response. She sighed, turning around so her back was against the wall and slid down into a sitting position. "Tell me, what did I do to deserve this?" She groaned, resting her arms on top of her knees and then burying her face in her goose-bump covered arms; it was getting awfully cold down there. Her whole right arm had gone pretty much completely numb, which was part good and part bad. Good because no pain, but bad because being this cold probably meant that somebody had been playing with the temperature controls; on purpose. "Somebody up there hates me…" She groaned into her arms.

Moments later, she could hear faint footsteps. She forced her legs to move and scrambled onto her feet, pounding on the door. "Hello! Is anyone out there?! I'm in here!!" She yelled. The footsteps faded further and finally disappeared. Madison sank back down onto her knees, holding her right arm close to her body. A burning sensation had taken up residence there, as well as a throbbing; the overwhelming urge to go to sleep wasn't helping much either. She blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to shake the feeling. "Snap out of it." She chided herself, shaking her head vigorously. She froze as the door slowly creaked open.

"First you expect Kurama and those Ningens to baby-sit you, now it's my turn?"

Madison gasped threw her good arm around Hiei's legs happily. "HieiI'veneverbeensohappytoseeyouinmyentirelife!!" She squealed without pausing, continuing to hug his legs gleefully. Hiei twitched uncomfortably. "Get off me." He snapped, not quite as harsh as it sounded, shaking her grasp. She gained control of herself again, standing up. "Is everyone else okay?" She asked, walking carefully through the doorway. Hiei followed, his hands shoved in his pockets, shrugging. "Kurama was taken to the hospital for-"

Madie had already taken off tearing up the service stairs.

"A mild concussion." Hiei finished, casually ambling after her. One of two things would happen. A: she would figure out that it was faster to just have Hiei take her and would come back. B: she would run all the way to the hospital and save him the trouble of having to take her. He rather hoped it would be the latter. He was quite aware, however, that were he to let her walk the whole way, he would have a very nasty Kurama and Koenma on his hands. He sighed, deciding to save himself trouble in the long run.

"We really need to have a talk..." Madison grumbled, blushing as she sat in Hiei's arms outside Kurama's window. Hiei smirked, waiting till the nurse had left the room before jumping over to and through the window. He landed lightly at the end of the bed. Madison waited barely a second before blurting out without thinking "Are you ever going to let go of me, or does Kurama have a rival?" She promptly found herself making nice with the law of gravity. "Ouchie…" She mumbled, her eyes following as Hiei stalked over to the window. "There, I did my share." He disappeared as Madison pulled herself up.

Kurama smiled at her from his position on the bed with a bandage wrapped around his head. "What happened to you?" He asked. Madison came round the side of the bed, sitting down in a chair. "Truthfully speaking, I should be asking you that. But, whatever. I got myself locked down in the basement is all." She looked down at the floor. Kurama raised an eyebrow. "What were you doing down in the basement?" He queried, noticing as she continued to rub gently at her arm. "I followed this one…guy…" She muttered, not meeting his gaze. Kurama sighed, deciding not to press the matter further. "At least you were safe when the police came."

Madison nodded, looking up at him. "What about you?" Kurama smiled reassuringly. "It's nothing, just a mild concussion. I'm only here overnight for observation." Madison glared playfully at him. "_'Just a mild concussion_' he says." She said mockingly. "And yet you won't believe me when I say I'm fine, eh?" Kurama chuckled. "Ah, but I heal rather quickly." He pointed out. Madison rolled her eyes, pretending to pout. "Blah blah blah." She grumbled.

Laughter danced in Kurama's eyes. "How's your arm?" He asked, switching the subject suddenly. Madison shrugged. "It could be better." She admitted quietly. "But nothing to worry about. A few days, a few bandages, it'll be right as rain." Kurama sighed, feeling a wave of guilt sweep over him as he remembered how she'd gotten the injury in the first place.

"Hey."

He snapped out of his daze as he realized she was sitting on his lap, straddling his legs. "Huh?" She smirked, shaking her head. "Jeez, someone has more of a concussion than they believe." Kurama chuckled, shaking his head. "What did you need?" Madison tapped her pointer fingers together, thinking momentarily before she shrugged. "Nothin." She rolled over on the bed, pulling the covers over herself and snuggling against his warmth. "G'night." She mumbled as unconsciousness overtook her. Kurama's green eyes looked down at her, and they had sadness in them. "Why did I let this happen…when you're going to be leaving…" He whispered, settling in for the night.

**During the night…**

While the sleep itself was rather peaceful, she was woken up suddenly to a loud crashing noise coming from outside. She blinked her bleary eyes, sitting up. There was another crash, and a bright flash of light. A sudden gust of wind sent shivers up her arms. Madie groaned, slipping out of the bed and making her way over to the window. "How did this get open?" She whispered, leaning out to grab the open windows.

**Next morning….**

Kurama awoke slowly, his head feeling much better than it had the night before. "Madison?" He called drowsily, forcing his sleep-filled eyes open. He looked around the room when there was no response. "Must have gone to get some food." He pushed himself into a sitting position, yawning. He reached down and grabbed the edge of the blanket on the side where Madison had been sleeping, which had been pushed back when she crawled out. He paused, feeling around the area where she had been sleeping; it was cold. "Uh?" He looked over at the window; it was open. His eyes narrowed, and he quickly crawled out of the bed, shivering as his feet hit the cold tile floors. He poked his head out of the window, looking around. "Mmm. She probably went home." He closed the window, shrugging. There was a knock on the door, and a nurse poked her head in. "Minamino-san? Your mother's here."

He was released a few hours later, and after assuring his mother a hundred times that he was alright he set off for Rina's home. Minutes later he was knocking on the front door. "Hello?" Rina opened the door. Straggles of hair was hanging around her face, her clothes were wrinkled, and she looked like she hadn't slept a wink. Kurama was quite shocked, in fact, at her appearance. "Shuiichi! Where's Madison?" The distraught woman asked breathlessly, faint color coming into her pale cheeks. Kurama's eyebrows furrowed together. "S-she hasn't come home?" He asked in surprise, feeling a knot settle in his stomach.

Rina shook her head dolefully, opening the door wider and motioning for him to come in. "I haven't seen or heard from her since yesterday when she went to the mall with you. I heard about that awful shooting, and that Madison was at the mall, but she didn't call me. I've been trying everywhere I could think of, but so far everyone's response was pretty much the same: no." Kurama entered the house numbly. He was pretty sure that Madison had fallen asleep on his bed, but sometimes between after he'd fallen asleep and this morning she had disappeared. Hiei would be the best person to talk to, but at the moment he had pressing matters. "Ah, Satou-san, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. She did mention something last night about following a possible lead about her family. She probably just got caught up with her investigation and forgot to call." He hurried to comfort the distraught woman, hoping to alleviate her fears with these little white lies.

Rina sank down into a chair, swirling her cold coffee. "You're probably right, Shuiichi." She took a deep breath, straightening up. "Yes, that's probably right." She looked down at her silver watch, gasping. "My goodness, look at the time! I have a shift to get on. If you'll excuse me." She stood up, bowing slightly and exiting the room. Kurama fetched his shoes, glad that her nurses training had finally taken over. It would be much easier for everyone if she was calm. He took off walking towards the park at a hurried pace, the knot settling itself in his stomach again. While what he had said had been enough to alleviate Rina's fears, he knew it wasn't really the truth. Madison's whereabouts were still a complete mystery. "Hiei." He sat down on a bench, knowing Hiei would show himself momentarily.

He was right. Hiei landed silently out of the tree, walking up behind the red head. "Hn." He grunted, showing he was actually paying attention. Kurama folded his arms together, watching two squirrels chase each other. "You wouldn't happen to know what happened to Madison _after_ you dropped her off, would you?" Hiei's face didn't change at all. "Why would I wish to know that?" He asked blankly. Kurama brushed some hair out of his eyes, turning sideways on the bench so he was partially looking at Hiei. "She's been missing since sometime last night. I thought she might have said something to you, or that you might have been keeping an eye on her." He emphasized the last part; Hiei snorted. "Why would I wish to keep an eye on her after I left her in your care? I figured even injured you could still have protected her."

Kurama sighed, half-expecting that sort of remark. "Answer me this. Do you have any idea where she may be right now?"

"Hn." Kurama felt the knot in his stomach tightening as Hiei continued. "Last night I sensed a demonic aura, but it disappeared within thirty seconds. I checked out the area and it was clear." Kurama closed his eyes, forcing his brain to function calmly. "I have a feeling Kuroda may be behind this. If that's the case, then we should probably get to the Makai. Fast." He stood up, opening his communicator. "Wait."

Kurama looked at Hiei, his hand ready to open it. "What is it?" He asked.

Hiei walked over, his hands in his pockets. "The humans will slow us down. And we're not trying to start a war, just extract the girl." Kurama thought about it a moment before nodding and slowly returning the communicator to his pocket. "You have a point." Yusuke and Kuwabara weren't exactly the best when it came to keeping their mouths shut. Neither was Hiei, but he at least could back up his threats.

* * *

Madison watched the demon out of the corner of her eye. She was sitting at the end of a long table, candles lit the stone room, and a demon was sitting at the other end, eating. He had short, spikey, black hair, and although you couldn't see them right now he had dark grey eyes. "Please, eat up." He hissed, sending shivers up Madison's back. She looked down at the food, but she had no stomach for it. "Uh, no thanks." She mumbled, shoving the plate away. 

It took her a few minutes to build up courage, but she managed to eventually. "What do you want with me?" She asked, glad that she didn't stutter. The demon didn't respond to her; didn't even seem to hear her. She cleared her throat, praying she could keep up this façade of having even a minimal amount of courage. "Excuse me, did you-" She stopped as he suddenly loomed over her. "Yess, I heard you, ningen." He smirked down at her, almost as if he could smell her fear.

'**Actually he probably can…'**

'Not helping.' Madison pointed out to the voice. She had gotten somewhat numb to the voice in her head. She still had no idea who it was, but what the heck. Did it really matter? She shrugged, forgetting momentarily where she was.

"Getting cocky now, are we?"

Her eyes snapped open as she felt a hand grabbing her upper arm. "Eh?!" She jerked back, the edge of the table pressing painfully into her ribcage.

"If you're not going to eat, I may as well kill you right here and now!"

Madison's eyes saw a flash of silver, and her eyes widened dramatically.

'**Do you not comprehend? He means to KILL you, baka! Do something!'**

The words seemed to stir something deep inside Madison, and she felt a sudden surge of courage and strength sweep over her. "FREAK!" She yelled, lunging forward suddenly, catching the demon off guard.

"Insolent girl!" His arm slammed into her stomach, sending her flying. She crashed into the table, knocking it over in the process. She couldn't move even when she heard the demon approaching her because she had had the wind knocked out of her. She lay on the floor, gasping for breath like a fish out of water. The demon stood over her, growling in annoyance. "That was foolish." He spat, kicking her in the stomach. Her muscles spasmed, and she curled into a protective ball.

"That's enough."

Madison's eyes flew open at the sound of Kuroda's voice behind her. He hadn't even raised his voice, yet the demon standing over Madie shrank back, a frightened look on his face. "Y-yes master." He stuttered, fleeing the room.

Madison gathered the courage to turn her head far enough that she could see Kuroda. He was wearing black pants, a black button-up shirt, and a strange gold chain disappeared under the shirt. The demon's yellow eyes seem calm, and yet sharper than a scalpel. Madison swallowed, trying to will her body into action; it wouldn't respond. Kuroda reached down and pulled her unresisting body onto its feet. "There now. That's better, isn't it?" He smirked, and Madie felt a shiver run up her spine.

Something inside her began stirring, causing Madison to back away from the demon near her suddenly. Kuroda's eyes narrowed into slits. "What do you think you're doing?" He hissed, advancing. The closer he got the harder the girl found it to breathe. Her whole body felt like an inferno, and the world began to spin. "What the hell…" She murmured, her eyes closing. Power surged through her body, and dark green aura exploded from her body, forcing Kuroda to take a step back. He brought an arm up in front of his face, shielding it. When he lowered it, a jolt ran through his whole body. Madison seemed to be standing before him, but she was different. Green hair adorned her head, her nails had extended into claws, and she seemed to have grown taller by a few inches. When her eyelids opened her eyes were no longer blue but green. Kuroda involuntarily took a step back. Her eyes were no longer that of someone who was submissive or afraid; defiance was the only thing running through them.

"Y-you came." Kuroda, strangely enough, stuttered slightly when he spoke to her.

'Madison' smirked, placing her hands on her hips. "You didn't think I'd stay locked up forever, did you?" Her voice was calm, and cold.

Kuroda regained his composure, straightening up. "It would have been much easier on you if you hadn't. You would have died quicker. Akane."

Akane snorted, her eyes gleaming. "Those words are hardly befitting when your opponent knows your weaknesses." She said smoothly, taking a step forward.

Kuroda didn't back down. "But that's a two way street. Besides, we both know it'll take you a little while still to regain your strength. Before that, your life is pretty much in my hands."

Akane chuckled to herself, flicking her hair out of her face. "Is that a fact? I happen to disagree, wouldn't you?" While she had been speaking she had continued to move forward, and as she finished she lunged, her hand reaching out for his neck. With a quick duck and charge he dodged her attack and slammed his fist into her stomach. Her face momentarily blanched, even while she brought her other arm forward, grasping at his neck. He twisted out of it, ignoring the pain shooting through his neck as her claws raked through his flesh. He stumbled backwards, sending a foot flying towards her face. She jerked backwards, tripping over a small box and landing with a thump on the floor. Kuroda was on her instantaneously, a short sword seeming to have appeared in his hand as if by magic. Both of Akane's hands jerked upwards, grabbing his wrist as she attempted to stop him from plunging it into her heart.

It was a battle of strengths, and unfortunately Kuroda was winning. The point slowly descended inch by inch, and Akane realized it. Her eyes darted around briefly before she took her life into her hands. The same instant that she released her grip on his wrist she rolled her entire body to left. The blade came crashing down onto the stone floor, cutting through the flesh on her back in the process. In the moment it took Kuroda to recover and slash at her again she was already on her feet, and her fist connected squarely with his jaw. Kuroda stumbled back, a cracking noise telling him she certainly hadn't lost her touch.

One arm came up to shield his injured jaw while the other one connected squarely with her stomach, sending her flying across the room. She crashed into the wall, sliding onto the ground, a cracking noise causing a smile to play onto his lips. "You're still as frail as ever, aren't you?" He said sarcastically, stepping forward. Akane's hands had fallen above her head, and her eyes moved under her closed eyelids. Kuroda took another step, and then she struck. Quick as lightning she grabbed the rope underneath her hands, throwing it around his neck and catching the other end. She sprung off the ground towards him, her knee (nearly) connecting with his neck. Kuroda blocked at the last minute, grabbing her leg and slamming her down into the ground. Blood spurted from her mouth, and she felt the air rushing out of her lungs.

Kuroda picked up the sword, not hesitating to plunge it downwards into her body. He missed his original target however, as Akane shoved the point towards the left side of her body. The blade plunged through her shoulder as she simultaneously kicked her legs off the ground, one foot connecting with Kuroda's already injured jaw. He stumbled back, clutching his mouth. Akane lay on the ground a moment, trying to rid her lungs of the fire running through them and get oxygen back into them. She felt breath returning to her just as the door into the room crashed open. Kuroda's eyes darted around, assessing the situation. "This isn't over yet Akane." He said quietly, closing his eyes as black mist began surrounding him. "Get back here coward!" She yelled, ripping the sword out of her shoulder and springing towards him, ignoring the fire now running through her shoulder.

She met only with thin air however, and she stumbled through his after image. "That.. that.." She began to curse him in several tongues, leaning against the table, the sword clattering to the ground.

"Madison?" Kurama said in disbelief, staring at her.

Akane turned her green eyes on him, her shoulder pounding. "No…" She whispered, her eyes closing and collapsing to the floor. Yusuke caught her before she hit the ground. "Uh, Kurama, you mind explaining?" He asked, lifting her light frame up in his arms. Kurama looked down at the girl's closed eyes. "I think that's better done by her than me. We should get that wound taken care of." He turned and walked out the door.

* * *

Madison's eyes opened slowly. She couldn't quite make out who, but someone was sitting next to the bed. She tried to move her left arm, but she couldn't feel her left shoulder. She blinked her eyes a few times, bringing everything back into focus. "Hiei?" She said quietly, using her right arm to push herself into a sitting position; she nearly stopped when she felt a sharp pain through her ribs, but she hid it. His head swiveled towards her, his arms crossed. "So you decided to stop hiding and wake up. Finally." He grumbled, standing up and walking towards the stairs. It was then that Madison realized that she was back in her room at Rina's. "You don't have to whine just because you got stuck baby-sitting…" She mumbled, leaning back against the pillow. Her eyes traveled down to the bandage wrapped around her shoulder. She could see hints of red, and she gulped as curiosity got the better of her and she reached for the bandage.

"I shouldn't do that if I were you."

Her head jerked up as she heard Kurama's voice. "Kurama!" She slid her legs over the side of the bed, wrapping an arm around her ribs as they protested in the foulest of languages. Kurama was wearing a half-way buttoned up white shirt, with matching slacks. "You really shouldn't be standing. You cracked a couple ribs, and one of them is broken." He commented, walking towards her.

Madison smiled weakly. "That would explain the stabbing pain in that general area, now wouldn't it? But I don't need to rest, really. The best thing for me is to be up and moving. I'll be right as rain in no time." She smiled strongly, straightening up. Kurama pushed her gently back onto the bed. "Not quite yet. I came up to check on the bandaging." Madison shrugged with her right shoulder, sitting back grudgingly against the pillows. "Whatever." She turned her face away as he gently unwound the bandage. She thankfully couldn't feel the wound, but she distinctly felt the disinfectant he put on the wound. Her eyes bugged, and her fingers gripped the sheets. Kurama hurried and finished his administrations, adding the final touch by changing the bandage. "Feeling will begin coming back into that pretty soon."

Madison pulled the shoulder of her light blue yukata back up, nodding. "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." She assured him, watching as he gathered up the used wrap, taking it over to the trash can. He returned to the bed, standing and watching her. "Yusuke and Kuwabara are downstairs, kinda eager to see you. Shall we go down?" Madison nodded, pushing herself carefully off the bed.

"Madison!" Yusuke and Kuwabara chorused in unison, looking up from the headlocks they had each other in. Madison gave a small wave with her good arm, raising an eyebrow. "Just don't kill each other, Rina wouldn't like that." She walked over to the fridge and pulled out some soda. "Want some?" She said over her shoulder to Kurama, tossing him a can after he gave her the affirmative. She shut the door, leaning against the cabinets. "So, fill me in. What happened? It's a little bit hazy on my end." Kurama took a sip of his soda before answering her. "When I awoke you were no where to be seen. After I got out of the hospital I figured that something had probably happened to you, so I recruited the help of Hiei to find you, Yusuke and Kuwabara rather forced themselves upon us. But it seems we came a little bit too late, eh? You had already accomplished our work for us."

Madison looked down at her hand. "Much as I'd really love to take the credit for that, it wasn't…me..it was.." She searched the darkness that was her memories whilst with Kuroda; one name came out of the darkness. "Akane." She said finally, her brows furrowed. "He kept calling me Akane."

* * *

A/N: Mwahaha! Well there was chapter seven. Not go ahead and click that little button down there and review! Really, I'd like to know your thoughts, I'm not just saying that. Good, bad, whatever, just let me know that somebody is still reading this. Jaa ne!

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11/6 - Whoops! I realized a slight inconsistency in this chapter. Originally Kurama and Hiei and agreed not to bring Yusuke and Kuwabara along with, then they did bring them. To top it off, as Kurama is bandaging Madison, he says that he recruited the S.D.'s help! My bad...Anyway, tis fixed now. Chapter eight is less than a page worth from being done!!!!  



	8. Chapter 8: DDR And A Journal Entry

A/N: _-gasp-_ I got a new chapter up! I'm so proud of myself! Well, enough of me, here's the story!

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

"Kurama?" Madison called quietly, tapping on his bedroom door the next morning. When there was no response she cautiously pushed open the door. She smiled softly as she was met by the sight of him, his head on his arms, sound asleep at his desk.

"Hey sleepy head."

Kurama's head came up. He blinked sleepy, causing Madie to giggle. "You're cute when you're tired." She came over, rubbing his shoulders. Kurama rolled his eyes slightly at her comment, yawning tiredly. Madison raised an eyebrow, questioning him "Didn't you sleep last night?"

He grinned ruefully, shaking his head..

Madison twirled over to the bed, flopping down on it. "You're working to hard. I don't think you're going to find anything on Akane." She stared up at the pattern on the ceiling. Kurama shrugged, promptly stretching. "She's amazingly old, apparently, so of couse I haven't really found anything out about her. However," He turned back to the desk, beginning to rifle through the various books and papers strewn about it, "I did find a journal entry from a demon who knew her personally. It's quite the interesting little entry; I think you'll find it'll catch your interest." Madison propped herself up on her elbow, looking over at him. "A journal entry?" Her curiosity was piqued now.

Kurama dug around until he finally found the book. "Here it is." He walked over, sitting down next to the girl on the bed, handing the book to her. She took it, looking at the journal entry. It had no date, and no name, but what was legible definetely concerned Akane.

"_We went out hunting today, Akane and I. I miss those times, back when the most we really had to worry about was the price of slaves on the black market, and where the best spots to have some 'fun' are. But today, as she promised, we spent in friendship and fun. I can't say that I've really had a good laugh in a long time, so this was a very nice outing. Akane managed to trip about ten times (yes, I was counting) and she still reacts exactly the same way. She growls, jumps to her feet, circles her opponent, and then pounces! Mind you, I wasn't too sorry not to be on the receiving end of her playful attacks. We caught about seven fish; mine were the biggest. She sulked the whole trip back, or prentended to, at least. When we got back to camp, we cooked our fish over the fire, each of us trying to steal the other's portion. We then went stargazing. It feels so odd, not having to wait for nighttime to fall before we can do that, but it's always dark here anymore, whether night or day. I'm afraid; afraid for Akane. Although she hasn't spoken of it, something is pressing on her mind. And I'm very afraid that…that it has to do with Kuroda."_

Madison tore her eyes from the page; the rest was unreadable. "So, this demon inside me is…good?" She closed the book, her hand resting on it's cover. Kurama lay back on the bed, one arm resting over his eyes. "So it would seem. But that's all I've found. And get this – it was such a long time ago, it's before Spirit World's records. They have absolutely no records of her at all."

Madison's eyes bugged out. "But that would mean that she's…..she's…."

"Thousands of years old? Yes." Kurama finished her sentence, blinking his eyes rapidly, trying to dispel the sleepiness from them. Madison nodded numbly, walking the book back over to the desk. "But somehow that doesn't seem like. It seems too…young…and innocent…" She turned around, opening her mouth to keep speaking. She stopped when she really Kurama had curled up on the bed and fallen asleep again, against his will. She grabbed a blanket, pulling it over his frame. "Sleep well." She kissed him lightly on the cheek, walking quickly out of the room, shutting the door quietly. She headed over to Yusuke's house, knocking on the door.

"It's not locked." Came the muffled response.

Madison pushed open the door, feeling her nostrils being assaulted by the lovely (notice sarcasm…) scent of cigarette smoke and beer. "Is Yusuke home?" She asked, not going any further than she had to.

"No. He went over to Kuwabara's." Came Atsuko's somewhat slurry response from the living room couch. Madison called out some sort of a thank you, hurrying out of the door. "I'm never gonna get used to that." She muttered, pulling her coat around her as she headed towards Kuwabara's.

"They're not here, they went over to the arcade." Shizura informed her, nodding and shutting the door after Madie's retreating figure.

Madison made it to the arcade, very glad that it was a Saturday. No school meant: freedom! She stood at the entrance, her eyes searching for that familiar orange and slick-black hair. There was a large crowd in one of the back corners, and curiosity got the better of her, so the girl went over to investigate. "What's going on?" She asked, not really expecting any answer. Strangely enough, she got one. "They put in a new DDR machine. It's from America."

Madison's eyes widened and she pushed her way to the front of the crowd. Yusuke was going up against a brown haired guy, and winning. "Ha!" Yusuke shouted triumphantly as the scores came in; he had won. Yusuke turned around, smiling confidently. "Anyone else wanna try?" He challenged loudly. Madison's eyes darted around, waiting for someone to step forward. When no one else did, Madison did. "I will."

Yusuke smirked down at her. "Are you sure? I mean, you already owe me thirty dollars. Are you sure you wanna keep digging that pit?"

Madison got on the pad next to him, smiling confidently. "You won't be wearing that smile when I'm done with you." She smiled sweetly, slipping in her coins. Yusuke shrugged, turning around to face the screen.

"3...2…1...begin!"

This threat had not been idle. Madison kept increasing the difficulty level, and Yusuke was finding it increasingly hard to keep up with her without making mistakes. The girl's eyes shifted over to Yusuke's panting form as they waiting for their scores. "Just give up already. Then your scores won't humiliate you." She whispered without moving her lips. Yusuke glared at her, stubbornly crossing his arms. His jaw dropped when he saw the scores. "WHAT?! WHEN DID I MAKE A MISTAKE?!" He yelled, pointing at the screen.

Madison smirked, turning around and stepping off the platform. "I may not be able to beat you at anything else in this place," She grudgingly admitted, crossing her arms and sulking, "but at least I can beat you at DDR." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, turning and pushing her way back through the crowd. She came to an abrupt halt at the outside of the crowd, her ears twitching at the conversation she could pick up.

"Look at that little bitch. Showing off like that." Came one voice, loud and obnoxious.

"It's amazing how she thinks that sleeping with Shuiichi means that he actually cares for her." Came another snatch of the conversation a few minutes later, much quieter, but still obnoxious and grating.

Madison's eyes narrowed as she followed the two girls out of the arcade. They were the two leaders of Kurama's fanclub at school. Emiko, the first one, was the one with black hair and violet colored eyes. Aemi, the quieter one, had the dark brown hair and blue eyes. Walking on either side of them were two boys, probably their bodyguards (coughslavescough) or something. Madie could stand the silent glares while she was at school, but verbal abuse was something she didn't handle well. "Excuse me girls." They both turned to look at her. "This little bitch has something to say to you." Her fist connected squarely with Emiko's face, sending her spinning to the ground with a scream.

The black haired boy next to her whirled around, charging at her. Madison managed to brace herself slightly as his shoulder rammed into her ribcage. She grunted, feeling air rush out of her lungs.

"You witch! I just got a facial!" Emiko had leapt back onto her feet, furious as blood spilled from her nose. Madison thrashed violently, kneeing the boy hard in the stomach. He went onto his knees, offering her the opportunity to lunge towards Aemi, her eyes flaming. The other 'bodyguard' stepped in front of her, and she lowered her upper body, balling up her fist and throwing it at his neck. She heard him choke, and his hands went up to his throat.

"Madison!" She heard two voices shout, and two pairs of arms grabbed her arms, dragging her back.

"Let go of me!" She screamed, thrashing angrily. She continued thrashing for a few moments until she figured out that they weren't going to let her go. The blood was pounding in her ears, and she really wished the hands would let her go beat the crud out of those girls. But as that certainly wasn't going to happen, she took several deep breaths, feeling her muscles begin to relax. It was only then that she suddenly realized that she could hear someone talking into her ear. "Take it easy Madie." It was Yusuke's voice, and it had a soothing effect on her. She nodded slowly, shrugging their hands off.

Emiko glared at her, pressing a tissue against her nose to stop the bleeding. Aemi was hovering by her elbow, likewise glaring. "Listen, bi-"

"No, you listen. I don't care what you think of me, I really don't. If you have a problem, you say it to my face. But you do not go talking about me behind my back, ESPECIALLY when it involves Shuiichi!" She clenched her fists, wanting nothing more than to punch the girls' faces in. Without anything effective to say, both girls turned and walked away, harrumphing as they did so. Madison watched them, annoyance seething from every pore in her body.

"Madison?" Madison's eyes shifted towards Yusuke's voice. "Yes?" Her voice was frigid; not that she was mad at him, just irritated at everything in general at the moment.

"Don't take what they said to heart. They're just jealous of you is all."

Madison's couldn't help a smile playing at the edges of her lips. "Thanks Yusuke. I…I'll be okay. I'm just gonna, uh, walk this off. Catch ya later." She turned and walked slowly towards the exit, taking deep breaths to calm herself. Yusuke and Kuwabara watched her go. "Urameshi, are you sure we should've-"

"She'll be fine." Yusuke seemed to be trying to comfort himself more than assure Kuwabara. "She'll be okay."

Once she reached the outside world her legs moved faster and faster until they were pumping like she in a 100 meter sprint. Her breathing became more and more ragged as the distance wore on; she'd never been a remarkable runner, and she did have asthma that would kick up ever now and then. But that didn't matter to her right now. All that mattered was the wind on her face, the cool air rushing past her. Her footsteps slowed as she entered a large park; she slowed to a jog, her heart thudding against her chest. Her eyes wandered; the cherry trees were beautiful, as was the lake she could see a little ways ahead. She jogged over to the bench facing the semi-large body of water, plopping tiredly down on it. She leaned forward onto her knees, taking deep breaths.

_'Why did I react so strongly? I've been called worse before…'_ She wondered to herself, thankful that her heartbeat was slowing to its more normal pace. "I don't think I've reacted quite like that to such a little amount of provocation…" She wondered aloud, looking down at her hands.

"Perhaps you wish to prove that you are good for something."

Her head jerked upwards as she heard Kurama standing next to her. "Ku-Kurama!" She stuttered, feeling a little bit of a flush creep into her cheeks. No matter how much time she spent with him, she couldn't help blushing when he spoke to her.

"Mind if I join you?" Kurama asked, smiling down at her. Madison fumbled for words. "Oh, uh, sure. Go ahead…what are you doing here?" She wondered aloud, scooting over on the bench. Kurama sat down next to her, leaning back. "I was worried about you." He said, in all seriousness. Madison pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them. "There's nothing to be worried about. I wasn't in any danger or anything like that. They were sissies anyway."

Kurama chuckled a little. "That's not exactly what I was speaking about." Madison raised an eyebrow. "Then….what exactly did you mean?" She turned her head, her curious blue eyes meeting his green ones. "I mean have you thought about what you're going to do after we defeat Kuroda?" Madison stiffened slightly, turning her gaze back to the stretch of water in front of her. "Why do you bring that up?" She asked quietly.

"Because you can't ignore it forever."

"I can try." She muttered, standing up and walking over to the edge of the water. She crouched slightly before springing upwards, diving into the water, disturbing its glassy surface. Kurama sighed, following after her. She couldn't run from this forever, and he had no intention of letting her. Much as he might dislike the idea, she really should return home after everything was done. This wasn't her world, not where she belonged. He dove into the water, popping up a few feet behind her.

Madison had heard him coming, and she began swimming across the lake. "Madison!" Kurama kicked after her, coming up beside her soon.

"No, I haven't really thought about what will happen. I'll….cross that bridge when I come to it." Madison restrained herself from snapping at him; he was only trying to help, after all. Kurama reached out and grabbed her arm, bringing the girl to a halt as he treaded water. "Madison, you really need to think this through. For everyone's sake." Madison pulled her arm out of his grasp, treading water herself. "Why, it won't make any difference if I think about it now or if I don't worry about it till later."

Kurama gave her 'the look'; the one parents give you when you are searching for a good excuse for something. "You know that's not true." He said reproachfully. Madison sighed, wiping some water out of her face. "I don't see why it should make such a big difference." She muttered.

Kurama reached out and brought her face around towards his. "It makes a difference in how everyone interacts with you. How far things are allowed to go." He said the last sentence softly. Madison's eyes shifted up towards his. "Actually I was thinking that I would-!!"

She was interrupted by the entire lake seemingly erupting. A scream ripped from her throat as she felt herself flying upwards through the air. Something flew through the air, wrapping around her waist and jerking her downwards. She gasped as it tightened and then was flying through the air, downwards. "ACK!" She threw her arms up to shield her face just before she slammed into the earth. She blacked out momentarily, feeling light-headed when she did come back to consciousness. "Ouch." She opened her eyes, only to be met by the world spinning around her.

"Well well well." She could hear Kuroda's silky voice coming from somewhere in the haze, and then she could actually see him. He crouched in front of her, grabbing the front of her shirt and pulling her onto her feet. Madie felt her stomach lurch as she was pulled onto her feet, and the world spun even faster.

"I'm so sorry to have to be so dramatic, but I'm afraid that would be your fault for resisting me last time." He said smoothly, poisonously. Madison blinked her eyes furiously, trying desperately to clear her vision. Kuroda smirked, letting go of her and looking to his right, where he had Kurama trapped with the lakes waters. "Perhaps I should just kill him now…" He said thoughtfully.

Madison's swirling eyes followed his, and she could just see Kurama's red hair underneath the water. She saw Kuroda stiffen as Kurama's rose whip burst through the surface of the water. She took the opportunity to do the only wise thing in that situation: run. She turned on her wobbly legs and began to run as best she could, trying to avoid at least most of the trees and bushes in her path. She heard footsteps coming up fast behind her, and her heartbeat quickened as she realized something: there was no way on her own that she was going to come out of this alive on her own. 'Akane, if ever I needed you, it's now!'

Madison felt her control over her body slipping, and for once she welcomed the darkness. Green eyes open, green hair swirled, and hands slapped together to form a symbol. "Wind Swept Fury!" Akane shouted, thrusting her hands forward. The air around her swirled faster than a tornado, shooting in a tunnel towards the approaching Kuroda; he barely had time to comprehend the danger. "Earth's Vengeance!" He yelled, throwing his hands forward in a similar fashion. A funnel of earth swirled up, rushing forward as a counter-measure against Akane's attack.

Her eyes narrowed, and she poured more strength into her attack. Kuroda followed suit, creating a large circle of swiftly circling earth in the space between the two, neither advancing nor retreating. Both held their ground, eyeing each other through the eye of the 'storm', their arms holding position in front of their bodies.

Kurama climbed out of his watery prison, coughing as oxygen found his lungs again. He was on his feet again in a second, running towards the large amount of demonic energy he could feel clashing. He leapt through the last trees, his rose whip lashing out; his feet never hit the ground. The wind was spinning even outside of the original source, and the perimeter was quickly increasing, tearing up the ground, plants, and trees in its path. Kurama caught himself on a tree, shoving his rose whip back into his hair. "AKANE!" He yelled, squinting his eyes to avoid the dirt flying through the air.

Akane's green eyes didn't move. "A LITTLE BUSY!" She yelled exasperatedly. Kurama, feeling the tree he was currently holding onto beginning to lift out of the ground, leapt backwards a few feet. "YOU'RE ATTACK IS GOING TO TEAR UP THE ENTIRE FOREST!" He used his rose whip to break up a log flying at his head. Akane's eyes darted briefly towards the red head, and in that moment her attack wavered. Kuroda realized this and doubled the strength of his attack. Akane crossed her arms in front of herself, stopping her tornado of destruction in a moment.

"AKANE!" Kurama yelled, throwing his arms up to shield himself as all of Kuroda's earth crashed onto Akane's position, causing dust and dirt to fly everywhere. When he managed to open his eyes again, the green haired demon was nowhere to be seen. "Akane!" He called, stepping forward.

"You won't find her remains in there." Kuroda rose up out of the dirt, dusting himself off.

Kurama's eyes narrowed, and he gripped his rose, so hard that blood was drawn. "You ba-" He stopped as something suddenly burst up out of the dirt, sending rocks and dirt flying. Akane stood there, dirt smudges on her cheeks, and a few scratches, but seemingly otherwise unscathed. "There are no remains to find, you fool. A few pounds of earth isn't enough to crush me, or have the years effected your memory as well?"

Kuroda's lip curled back in a snarl, and a spike suddenly shot up underneath Akane. Had she not leapt out of its direct path she would have been shish kabob. But she did jump, and got away with her life. The ground rumbled as more spikes began moving upwards. "LovetostayandchatbutwereallygottaRUN!" Akane yelled, grabbing the surprised Kurama's arm and taking off at breakneck speed through the forest, spikes popping up out of the ground at their heels. "Kurama, any help would be mightily appreciated!" She commented/yelled over her shoulder dryly.

Kurama, knowing they were out of sight of Kuroda, smirked, reached over and grabbed onto a tree, spinning them a complete 180 around the tree. Akane's back stopped mere millimeters away from the tree, thanks to Kurama's hand taking the brunt of the force. His other hand was planted against the tree above her shoulder, keeping him from slamming into her. Both were panting from their sprint moments before, and for a few moments neither one could say anything. Akane was the first to break the silence, smiling sheepishly. "Somehow this wasn't quite how I envisioned our first meeting, Yoko." She commented quietly.

Kurama chuckled, removing his hand from her back, taking a step backwards. "I'm afraid you have the wrong impression, Miss Akane, I am-"

The green haired demoness waved her hand dismissively. "I know, I know. You are Shuiichi Minamino, impeccable son of Shiori Minamino, blah blah blah. I just like the name Yoko better; heck, even Kurama, but Shuiichi?!" She sighed exasperatedly, placing her hands on her hips, shaking her head. "I suppose I'll have to get used to it." She said resignedly.

Kurama was a little taken aback. This wasn't exactly what he'd been expecting from her, not after seeing her fight, and how serious she had been whenever fighting. "Shall we go back?" He said finally, not sure exactly how he should respond to her ramblings about his name; IF he should even respond to her ramblings. He opted for not answering in the hopes he wouldn't spark anymore rambles. Akane cocked her head before the light seemed to some on in her head. "Ah! Back to Madison's guardian, Rina's, home. Yes, probably a good idea." She agreed, pushing herself away from the tree.

* * *

A/N: Well, hope y'all liked it. And please - REVIEW! I absolutely adore reviews! I don't care if all they say is "hey. i liked it." It really doesn't matter, I just like seeing them! Jaa ne!  
(Oh! I nearly forgot. If you have any ideas for something you might like to see in the story, an idea for something to happen, etc, please don't hesitate to send me a message or tell me in a review. I am ALWAYS open to new ideas that I may not have thought of.)  



	9. Chapter 9: Overloaded

A/N: Just a warning, I literally finished this thing five minutes ago, and wanted to get it up, so I haven't had time to go through and edit it or anything. I apologize for any mistakes I may have made, but I wanted to get it up since I haven't updated for so long.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Akane pushed open the door into Kurama's home, walking in somewhat cautiously.

"Madi-uh, who are you?" Yusuke had half stood up, one eyebrow raised. The green haired demoness rubbed the back of her neck, bowing slightly to the two humans and the fire demon seated in the living room. "Kazukiri Akane." She said politely, standing up straight. Yusuke and Kuwabara proceeded to introduce themselves, Hiei 'hn'ed and stared sullenly out the window, as was his fashion. An awkward silence followed the introductions; Kurama opened the front door, shutting it behind himself. "Akane, won't you have a seat?" He motioned into the living room. Akane nodded, choosing, oddly enough, to sit cross-legged on the coffee table between the two couches.

Kurama sat down facing, something akin to awe shining in his bright green orbs. "Akane, could you….ah, would you…." He trailed off again, for once unable to summon up his usual eloquence. Akane smirked, brushing some hair out of her face. "Go ahead, ask your questions, I don't mind. I'm sure you must have a lot circling in that cunning mind of yours, haven't you?" Kurama shifted slightly at her praise. "In that case..." He paused and looked at Hiei. "Did you bring it?" He asked. Hiei gave a small 'hn' and pulled something out of his cloak: the journal Madie and Kurama had been looking at. He held it out to Akane, whose jaw had dropped when she saw it. "Where…how…" She whispered in amazement, gingerly taking it from the fire apparition's hands.

"We were a little bit curious as to who exactly wrote that…and what dialect most of it is written in. I'm afraid I can't recognize it." Kurama stated quietly, knowing she would hear him. Akane's eyes were wide as she slowly opened the front cover. She slowly ran one hand down the page, a nostalgic look on her girlish face. "This is…" She paused and cleared her throat. "I had no idea this would survive for so long. Spirit World must have been taking good care of it. I wouldn't expect you to recognize the dialect, it is about as old as I am, maybe a little older. It died out about the time that Spirit World began to get its act together in terms of records and such. As to who wrote it, a very dear friend of mine; Spirit World won't have records of her either. Her name was Aiko, and she and I…we were…" Akane trailed off, struggling to control the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her.

Hiei's eyes drifted lazily towards her, wondering briefly why a demon, especially one as old and skilled as her, could be so easily subjected to human emotions. Kurama could sense her struggles, and hurried to change the subject. "Could you explain what she was talking about in this section?" He flipped to the passage they could understand and pointed. Akane's green eyes quickly scanned over the words. "That was our last fishing trip before I battled Kuroda." She murmured quietly, shutting the book.

Silence reigned for a few moments before Yusuke tried to verbalize the question pressing on everyone's mind. "Why exactly where you battling him for? And what did your friend mean by it always being dark?" Akane pulled her legs underneath her body, pushing her mind back that many years. "About three and a half thousand of your human years ago," – both Yusuke and Kuwabara's eyes bugged out at the number – "Kuroda mysteriously managed to rise into a lot of power in the Makai. By the time he was deemed a threat by Spirit World intelligence, it was a little bit too late. He was too powerful for Spirit World to stop him. Everyone told me I had a gift, that I was the chosen one to combat him. I trained for 100 years to be ready for it, and when the time came, I finally did. To cut a very long story short, we were so well matched that we ended up sealing each other away, we thought forever. Apparently we were wrong. As for the darkness, I'm not sure exactly how he was managing that little bit of theatrics."

It took a minute for this information to sink in. Kuwabara was the next to speak. "But how come Spirit World doesn't have records on any of this? Or you for that matter?" Akane pushed some green hair out of her eyes. "Kuroda and myself date back before Spirit World kept records. But the battle I talked of happened relatively recently, so I don't know exactly why King Enma doesn't have any records of all this; you should ask him sometime. I'm a little curious myself." She had a few ideas, but was the overwhelming need to sleep pushed all other thoughts out of her mind. "Excuse me." She stood up, staggering out of the room.

* * *

Madison's blue eyes fluttered open; a few seconds passed before she was able to see anything clearly. "As if everything wasn't already confusing enough…" She muttered, pushing herself up into a sitting position. She blinked a few times, trying to figure out where the heck she was. The room was neat and tidy (definitely not hers), and had a green and white color scheme. Two large bookshelves, a dresser, and a desk were expertly placed around the room. The walls were white with green trim around the edges; on one wall there was a large window overlooking the back corner of the garden. She blinked in bewilderment, shoving the blankets off and standing up. She yawned and stretched in place, proceeding to run her fingers through her hair to calm the mess at least a little bit. 

She walked over to the bookshelves, browsing over the few titles that were there. "Botany, History of Japan..." She mumbled absent-mindedly, skimming over more of the titles. The door creaked on its hinges, causing her to jolt and jump backwards defensively. Black spikey hair appeared around the edge of the door, calming the startled teen. "Geez Hiei, you could at least knock!" She spat, trying to sound annoying but only ending up sounding relieved. "Hn. I thought I heard something moving around up here." He commented sullenly, crossing his arms. Madison rolled her eyes, one hand over her chest as she made an effort to calm its frantic beatings. "Your evilness aside, where the heck am I?!" She placed her hands on her hips, trying to look stern.

"Think about it for a moment, I'm sure even you can manage to figure it out." Hiei had a very unimpressed look on his face as he left the room. It took a moment for Madie's brain to process the inferred insult. "Hey!" She glared at the spot where Hiei had been standing. "May as well just go find out." She grumbled, stalking out of the room. Moments after she stepped out of the room the light came on. "AHA!" She yelled, punching the air triumphantly. Unfortunately for her, she did it at the exact moment that she should have been paying attention to the ground underneath her, which was sloping downwards because of the stairs. She flailed her arms as her foot met with the ground, too late. Her arms reached for the rail, her fingertips just brushing it. She felt her body collide with something, and strong arms supported her. She blinked, still feeling the adrenaline rushing through her veins.

"Baka." Hiei's annoyed voice rang in her ears; she sweat-dropped. _'He can't even save someone gracefully.'_ She thought randomly, repositioning herself on her legs on the stairs. "Th-thanks Hiei." She walked past him back down the stairs as he grunted, one hand on the railing, very conscious of his eyes boring into the back of her head as he followed her back down the stairs. "Madison!" Yusuke and Kuwabara chorused when they saw her standing in the doorway. Madison rubbed the back of her neck embarrassedly. "Knock it off guys, you act like I died and came back to life or something." She brushed it off, bending down and pulling on her shoes. "Where you going?" Yusuke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I…uh, need to…" She trailed off, her eyes resting on the ground, one hand on the door knob. Emotions flitted through her eyes like trains on the subway. "I need to…go…" She muttered, practically dashing out of the door.

The three boys stared after her. "Why was she upset?" Kuwabara wondered aloud. No one bothered to answer him; they didn't know themselves.

* * *

Madison's shoes pounded on the ground, her heart pumping two or three times as fast. A tear dripped down her cheek as she ran up the driveway to Rina's home. She shoved the key into the lock, flinging open the door. She gave it a shove back towards being in a shut position even as she slid out of her shoes and made a mad dash for the stairs to her room. She thudded up the stairs, flinging open the windows before she plopped down on the bed, clinging tightly to a pillow as more tears tumbled down her cheeks. It was impossible to explain, the sudden rush of emotions that had come over her back at Kurama's. Not helping the situation any was the fact that these weren't even her own emotions! These were Akane's emotions. It was if now that they had really 'melded' into one, they're minds were combining. Along with the knowledge she was gaining by the second came a tidal wave of emotions and memories, as if someone had torn down a dam between their minds. 

A sob welled up in Madison's neck, and she buried her face in the pillow, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to block out the horrible images playing out in front of her eyes, to no avail. The less she tried to look, the more she saw. Nothing by Akane's own doing, thankfully, but she had seen more than her fair share of violence in her thousands of years it would seem. Her bubbling emotions came to a crashing halt when she heard the sound of the front door opening. Madie's blue eyes peeked out from the pillow, hurrying to get a hold of herself. _'RINA!'_ She quickly dabbed at her eyes, hoping all outward signs were too subtle to be noticed. She walked over to the stairs, bracing herself for the bear hug and scolding she was sure to get from her protective, yet temporary, guardian.

* * *

"_GET BACK!" A voice shouted behind the green haired demoness. Green eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she watched the destruction happening before her very eyes. Demons were everywhere, destroying everything, and everyone, in their path. Akane stood at the end of the village, numb from the shock. She had expected Kuroda to move, but this was slaughter! These people had nothing to do with any of the business of regular Demon World affairs! The demoness' feet began moving; not backwards: forwards. "__Kijo Kaze Yokoana!!" She yelled, dragging her arms behind herself as the air behind her seemed to explode. The air began to swirl viciously, eating everything in its path as Akane 'dragged' it through the village, her eyes blazing. Not a demon could escape without her consent, and you were as good as dead within a 50 foot radius of it. Shrieks pierced the air as demons were literally torn to pieces. Akane's eyes widened as she continued her rampage of death; directly ahead was a young demon, couldn't be more than five in human years. There was no way to go around, and if she continued her charge the little girl would be caught in the attack as well. The green-haired demoness recoiled all of her youki, skidding to a stop just inches in front of the crying child. She whirled around as she heard a sound behind her, throwing her arms up over her head. "AHHHH-"_

"-HHHHHH!!!" Madison woke up screaming, thrashing in the blankets. It took her a few moments to calm down enough to realize the blankets were twisted tightly around her body. She rested her head on the pillow, breathing deeply. Her heart was still beating at an alarming rate, and she could feel her whole body sweating and trembling. She gulped in air, feeling the trembling in her body begin to calm. When she felt able to she slowly began to unravel herself from the prison she had trapped herself in. When she had completed that task she sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, brushing a hand over her eyes. It was hard to place; she hadn't actually seen what was coming at her, yet somehow she had been terrified of whatever it was. She shuddered a little as she remembered the feeling, pushing herself onto her feet. "What a nightmare…." She muttered, looking at the alarm clock and giving another little scream. "I AM SO LATE!!!"

* * *

Madison panted as ran up the front steps to the school, just as the bell rang. She didn't stop running until she made it to her first class and sank into her chair. "Made it…" She groaned in relief, letting her head hit the desk. After the teacher had taken roll and was beginning the lesson, Madison's thoughts drifted back to last night. _'What a nightmare…I don't know if I can handle all of this. I mean, I suppose if the situation really called for it…but on the other hand I could just talk to Koenma, explain the situation and-'_

"Miss Sasaki!" The teachers loud voice boomed in her ear, causing her to jump. "YEE-IPE!" Madison yelped, falling over in her chair.

The teacher tapped his foot on the floor, looking annoyed. "I would appreciate it ever so much if you could lower yourself to actually devote some of your _precious_ attention to my class, Ms. Sasaki." His voice dripped with sarcasm, and Madie flinched a little. "Sorry sir." She ducked her head, looking down at her hands. The teacher sighed, walking back up to the front of the class and continuing. Madison didn't dare allow her mind to wander after that; she didn't want a lecture from the principal, not today.

Madison didn't see Kurama until lunchtime. He was already seated at the table, along with Yusuke and Kuwabara. She bought her lunch, hesitating briefly before maneuvering her way over to their table. "Hi guys." She said unenthusiastically, plopping down next to Kurama. Three pairs of curious eyes were turned on her, causing her to shift in her seat. "What?!" She exclaimed, leaning back in an attempt to escape their stares.

"Don't fall." Kurama cautioned, placing a hand behind her back. She sent him a mock glare, pulling herself forward again. "Then stop staring at me…" She muttered, zeroing in on her food.

"Are you on that time of the month?" Kuwabara asked bluntly, being his ever-so-not-tactful self, earning a thwack on the back of the head from Yusuke. "OW! URAMESHI!" "You don't just ask a girl if she's in that time of the month, numbskull!!"

Madison was twitching ever so slightly, holding back the urge the thwack both of them herself. "No, I'm not. And I'd appreciate it if you'd stay out of my business." She said curtly, standing up and walking away. Yusuke and Kuwabara just gaped after her. "What's her problem?" Kuwabara wondered, clueless. Kurama sighed, getting to his feet. "There goes my lunchtime." He said resignedly, following after her.

Madison had made her way to the roof, sinking down against one of the walls, burying her face in her arms on her knees. Kurama slid down next to her, resting his arms over his bent knees. "Why do you look so tired?" He asked quietly, very aware that she was on a knife's edge emotionally right now. Madison brought her head up, leaning it back against the wall. "I didn't sleep well last night, why else?" She muttered, yawning tiredly.

"I can see that. Did it have anything to do with yesterday?" He asked, trying not to sound as tactless and Kuwabara and Yusuke. Madison closed her eyes, feeling a slight breeze rush over her skin, reminding her of her dream last night. "..Yes." She said finally, opening her blue eyes again. "It's the strangest thing. After I woke up yesterday, I…it was like someone had broken the barrier between my mind and Akane's… her emotions, memories, thoughts; they're all trying to incorporate themselves into my mind. And… it's not exactly painless." She sent him a weak smile, rubbing her temples. "It's just so much to try and comprehend."

Kurama suddenly reached over, placing his hand on her forehead. Madison jolted, feeling a slight blush creeping into her cheeks. "W-what are you doing?!" She spluttered, shoving his hand away. He smiled smugly. "I thought as much. You have a fever, and should be in bed at home, not at school." He stood up, extending a hand, grinning down at her. It took a moment for her to comprehend exactly what he meant. "But I couldn't!" She exclaimed, pulling herself up. "I don't want to miss the rest of this day! Besides which I'm not actually sick and-"

Kurama placed a finger to her lips, shaking his head in amusement. "That's not the point. The point is that you need time to absorb everything. You may as well go home, since I'm not letting you go back to class." He said firmly; Madison raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you intend to stop me, huh?" She challenged, placing her hands on her hips.

* * *

"The nerve of him!" 

She splashed cold water on her still heated cheeks, drying off and looking up at her flustered image in the mirror. "I can't believe he carried me all the way out of school! In my uniform too!" She blew some hair out of her face, wishing the blush would leave her cheeks. "No freakin' business of his…" She grumbled, heading out of the bathroom.

"I hadn't expected you home just yet."

Madison nearly hit the ceiling as she heard Koenma's voice in her ear. "KI-YA!" She pressed her back against the wall, panting. "Just 'cause you're the ruler of Spirit World doesn't exactly give you the right to just barge into other people's houses…or help yourself to their fridge!" She protested, pointing accusingly at the soda can he held in his hand.

The (teenage form) Prince of Spirit World sighed. "May I point out I had no idea how long I was going to have to wait for you to get home. I was thirsty."

"But you shouldn't walk into other people's houses!" She spluttered, irritated. He was probably the last person she ever wanted to see. Actually, there were a few worse people she could think of, but he was definitely within the top five. "Now what did you want, or are you just trying to make this scrap of a life even more miserable for me?" She crossed her arms defiantly.

Koenma sighed. "You can't still be mad about our bargain."

A tick mark appeared on Madison's forehead. "Of course not. You just tell me I have two options: try to get myself KILLED to save your skinny butts, or I can NOT risk my neck and stay in this little pit until I die! Either way my options don't look too good, do they? Oh! And to top it all off, you have the nerve to tell me that you can get me home, but won't unless I help you! Well, I don't have many options do I? So no, of course I'm not mad – I'm-"

"ALRIGHT! I GET THE PICTURE!" Koenma yelled, a tick mark having appeared on his own forehead. "I know I'm evil, annoying, and whatever else I can think of, now would you stop whining? It's getting irritating."

Madison's jaw dropped. He did that to her, and now he had the nerve to tell her to stop _whining_!?!?! _'The little cretin! I outta' pummel him! He's soooo begging for it!!!!'_

'**Might I point out that you couldn't actually do anything to him, as he is the Ruler of Spirit World.'**

Akane's calm voice rang through her thoughts, causing Madison to twinge. _'But he SOOOOO deserves it after what he put me through!'_ Madison bit her lip in frustration.

'**Right, I forgot. Your troubles are so terribly large.'**

Madie's eyes widened at Akane's sarcasm. Before she could formulate a retort back Koenma had already begun speaking again. "I'm afraid we're going to need your help with something. That's why I'm here."

Madison snorted. "You had to drag your royal butt from your desk all the way down here to tell me that? You couldn't have just told one of the boys? I'm honored." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm at the very end.

Koenma chose to ignore her sarcasm. "I came down here because no one but you or Hiei has been told, or is going."

Stun silence.

It took Madison a moment to comprehend his words. "Wait, it's just me and Hiei? Why? He doesn't even like me!" She complained, flailing her arms.

Koenma sighed. "Well, actually it's Akane we need." – Madison flinched visibly – "For one she can keep up with Hiei's speed. This mission is on a time constraint, as the target will only be in the area for a specific amount of time. For two, she'll be able to handle herself, as well as being quite a bit more intimidating than you."

Madison narrowed her eyes. "What gave you the slightest hint that I would be at all inclined to help you, huh?!" She struggled to contain her temper; nothing but fires from hell would cause her to help that arrogant jerk!

"The fact that I hold you returning to your life in the palm of my hand, as it were." Koenma replied without batting an eyelash.

Madison dug her nails into her arms, resisting the urge to hit him, even if she really couldn't, she'd still feel a hundred times better for trying! "Koenma I swear, before I go I will put you in your grave!" She spat, glaring at him. Koenma nodded and quickly skedaddled, not wanting stay and test her patience (or lack thereof).

'**I missed the fires from hell.'**

Akane couldn't help commenting teasingly. "Shut it." Madison growled, heading for the front door.

'**Uh, didn't Koenma say they wanted me?'**

Akane asked after Madison slipped on her shoes and stood in the kitchen. "Yes, but I intend to wait until Hiei gets here."

"I am here baka." Hiei's voice growled from behind her, causing her to jump.

"HIEI!" She yelped, catching herself on the counter. "How did you…when did you…never mind." She shook her head, annoyed that that was the _second_ time her heart had been pushed into overdrive mode and adrenaline had been pumped into her body. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." She commented dryly, rubbing her hands together.

"I don't sneak. It's not my fault that you don't notice things until the come up and bite you." He turned and headed for the back door. "Change; we need to get going."

Madison glared at his retreating back. "Easy for you to say." She muttered, closing her eyes and giving in to the welcoming darkness. Green hair swirled and green eyes opened. "Let's go." Akane said calmly, leaping after the little fire apparition.

* * *

A/N: I hope you peoples enjoyed it! Jaa ne!  



	10. Chapter 10: A Bad Turn of Events

A/N: Hello everyone! Wow. I can't believe how long it's taken me to update. What can I say, I've been busy? Anyway, thank you to all my faithful reviewers, who have been so helpful in continually motivating me to keep writing this!

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

"You're clumsy." Hiei commented bluntly, taking out yet another demon.

Akane chuckled, pulling herself off the ground and dodging a demon's attack with ease. "Yes, probably, but can you really blame me? If you had been sealed away for a couple hundreds years, I'm sure you wouldn't be at the top of your game either." She replied lightly, catching a katana being swung out her with her bare hand. Her other hand darted forward and broke the demon's neck. "These weaklings aren't really worth our time Hiei, wouldn't you agree?"

"Hn."

Akane's hands pressed together forming various symbols. "Get over here Hiei – soyokaze!" She cupped her hands around her mouth, and blew. The results were quite astonishing: it was if the wind had come and just scooped up all the demons around the pair, carrying them away out of sight. Akane smirked, turning the katana she had 'borrowed' so that she was actually holding its handle, not the blade. Blood dripped from her palm, and she turned a coy smile at Hiei. "I love being old." She turned and leapt forward, heading straight for their target.

Their target was waiting patiently for them, a couple miles away. Deep blue eyes watched the two approaching unconcernedly from beneath a black hood. A slight breeze ruffled the rest of the black cloak, causing two pale hands to reach out and pull the edges closer to the body.

Akane gave one final leap, landing lightly a few feet away from the demon, holding the katana in her hand rather relaxedly. "So you're our target, eh? I must admit I had anticipated someone a little bit more…intimidating." Her eyes were darting up and down their opponent; she didn't seem to be paying any attention to what exactly she was saying at the moment. Her power seemed to have been cut in half quite suddenly, and she wasn't sure exactly why. Although she knew Hiei would never admit it, she was fairly certain that Hiei was in the same predicament.

Their target smiled a little, the same pale hands as before reaching up and pulling the hood off of their head. It revealed shoulder length black hair, blue eyes and pale skin. "Welcome, Akane-san, Hiei-san. I'm glad Spirit World deemed me worthy of getting two people with real skill. Then at least I will have a little fun killing you." She smiled, revealing perfectly white teeth.

Akane's eyes scanned the dark clouds that had come up. _'What's she up to…'_ She wondered, her eyes narrowing as thunder rolled in the distance.

Hiei glared at their opponent. "Enough chatting." He snarled lunging forward.

"Hiei, don't!" Akane yelled, lunging after him. She managed to bring him to a halt about fourteen inches away from the demoness. "She has a shield around her!" She panted, releasing Hiei.

He gave her a quizzical look.

The black-haired demoness clapped her hands mockingly. "Bravo, miss. You're very accurate in that statement. Should he have ventured forward two more inches, he would've been electrocuted to death." Her smile remained pleasant, if not a little bit mocking, the whole time she talked. The minute she finished speaking, electricity began crackling around her, and the shield took on a blue tinge, revealing itself.

Hiei growled and took a few steps back, his katana still at the ready.

Akane sighed, dropping her katana. "Why don't you come out from behind that shield and fight us already. Or are you afraid of us? I hadn't pegged you as a coward, but I'm beginning to change my mind about that."

The demoness gave them a bone-chilling smile, the shield dropping instantly. "Tsk tsk, you shouldn't speak of what you know not." She raised one hand above her head and a katana appeared in it. Not just any katana; this one appeared to be made from Lightning. "There, now we can fight evenly. I had assumed that a demon of your age and training should have been able to take out a simply constructed shield, but I guess I was sadly mistaken."

Akane twitched; at one time she would have been able to take out the shield with ease, but she was rather out of practice at the moment. "I just prefer to conserve my energy for more impor-"

She was cut off by Hiei lunging forward, swinging his katana. The demoness barely had time to react with her own katana. "Mmph." She grunted; Hiei didn't stay in one place for long; he leaped, lunging at her from another angle. So the 'play' went on for a time, Hiei continually inflicting wounds on her. Unfortunately, none of them were fatal.

Akane smirked, pressing her hands together forming the symbol of the Horse. "Wind Swept Fury!" She yelled, thrusting her hands forward; the same attack she had used on Kuroda some time before; the air around her swirled faster than a tornado, shooting forward towards the seemingly defenseless enemy.

The demoness' eyes locked onto the tunnel of death coming at her. "Shuurai!" She screamed as Hiei's katana pierced through her stomach, pressing her hands together in the Boar symbol and pointing at the ground below her. The clouds above swirled furiously, and there was a blinding flash of light. The ground beneath the demoness and Hiei erupted, sending the little fire apparition flying.

Akane's tornado met the wall of dirt, rebounding and heading back in her direction. Her green eyes widened, and she quickly stopped her own attack, feeling herself flying backwards from the waves of earth emanating from the opponent.

The black haired demoness dusted herself off, her smile wavering ever so slightly. She looked down at her stomach, placing one hand over the wound. She then pulled her hand away, watching as the blood droplets dripped onto the ground below. "You." She turned and glared at Hiei, all signs of smiles or pleasantries completely erased from her countenance. "You have just spilled blood that has not been spilt for over one hundred years." Her voice was dark and laced with tightly controlled anger; the black clouds above were swirling wrathfully.

Hiei had picked himself up off the ground some feet away before she even began speaking. His face remained calm as she spoke, but his eyes were trained on his katana lying at her feet, which had somehow become separated from his grip during the explosion.

Akane pushed herself back onto her feet, blinking her eyes rapidly in an effort to clear the dust from them. She heard the thought ring through the back of her mind _'Please don't let her notice it. We can't afford Hiei losing his cool right now!'_ She slowly stepped forward, her mind racing. So the demon they were facing had control of lightning, but what else? Somehow it just didn't fit that the lightning would be the only trick up this vixen's sleeve. "Oi, what's your name?" She called, hoping to break some of the tension between the opponent and Hiei.

The demoness' head didn't move at all as she smoothly replied "Remember this well: Mitsuko of the Light!" When she said the word 'light', the thunder roared, and lightning flashed.

Neither Hiei nor Akane seemed terribly impressed by this display.

"Now, were you perhaps hoping to get this back?" The demoness, Mitsuko, asked cheekily, picking up Hiei's katana. She inspected it, noticing the ever so slight twitch emanating from Hiei's cheek out of the corner of her eye. "You won't be needing this I don't think."

Akane's eyes widened as she heard the sound of metal breaking. Small bits of Hiei's katana flew through the air as if in slow motion. She knew what Hiei's reaction would be, and she quickly leaped for Mitsuko as well, creating the effect of making the attack look coordinated. Akane went for the feet, Hiei went for the face.

Mitsuko's eyes shifted slightly, and she slowly shook her head. "Foolish." One hand caught Hiei's fist, the other grabbed Akane and slammed her upwards into Hiei's left arm. The minute the two bodies made contact, as she hadn't let go, Mitsuko slammed them against the ground, releasing them and leaping backwards.

Both were caught so off guard that neither one had time to prepare for the sudden collision with the hard ground. Hiei slammed into the ground, and Akane smashed into his stomach on top of him. Blood spurted from his mouth from the force of the impact, a few drops landing on his ally's cheek.

The green haired demoness quickly flipped off of him, ignoring the constriction in her chest from having hit the ground, through Hiei, so hard. Her eyes focused on their opponent, not a muscle anywhere in the rest of her body even so much as twitching. A moment after this phenomenon occurred, her eyes darted at Hiei, met his ruby red orbs, and then returned to the enemy even as her whole body leapt forward. "You," – she landed a few feet in front of Mitsuko – "arrogant," – her hands formed into the Rat – "bitch!" The air seemed to explode to life around them, picking up speed by the second.

Mitsuko's eyes darted around, not entirely unfazed by this. "What do you expect to do with all this air, hmm Akane? I would expect something spectacular from a-ah!" Her hand flew up to her cheek, where a cut had appeared.

Akane clenched her fist. "I suppose I should thank you. When you shattered Hiei's sword you sent out all those tiny shards; _razor sharp little shards_. And with no ties to the earth below…" She trailed off, the wind picking up and more cuts beginning to appear on Mitsuko's pale skin as the tiny blades cut deeper and deeper into the demon's flesh.

Mitsuko's eyes widened, and she took one step back. "Perhaps I didn't give you enough credit." She admitted sullenly.

Hiei, watching this scene from behind her, recognized his chance and took it. He sprung forward, thrusting the four inches left of his katana towards her back; more directly her heart.

"Foolish."

Mitsuko's eyes were closed, and she was slowly shaking her head.

A rather surprised Hiei has the remainder of his katana stuck…in a solid rock wall.

"I say again: foolish. You both should have known better than to try anything that bold without knowing my second ability." Mitsuko placed her hands on her hips, smirking triumphantly at Akane, who had stopped the wind.

Hiei let go of the hilt, jumping next to Akane.

Mitsuko made a swirling motion with her hand, and the clouds above responded by swirling and growing angrier by the second. "Bye bye."

Lightning struck in two places, causing two things to happen simultaneously: one struck Mitsuko, causing her to disappear; the other struck the spot where Hiei and Akane were standing!

* * *

Madison's eyes moved about underneath her eyelids. She could smell burning flesh, and her whole body was still pulsing from the shock. But she wasn't dead; that was a good thing. "What happened back there…" She groaned, trying to get her body to respond to her brains commands. She pried her eyelids apart, nearly screaming when she realized that all she could see was blackness. "O-oi! Hiei! Where'd you go?!" She tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to keep the panic out of her voice (cough yell cough) as the thought that he might have abandoned her flitted briefly through her mind. _'Hiei's not that type of guy!'_ She scolded herself fiercely, bracing herself to sit up. 

She struggled her way into the sitting position, grimacing at the excruciating pain that action set pulsating throughout her whole body. "Owww…" She groaned, leaning forward on her knees. "I feel like I just got hit by lightning…"

She took two deep breaths, blinking her eyelids rapidly, trying to get her vision back. She felt fear seed itself in her heart when her sight wouldn't return. "It's okay…you're alright…" She mumbled to herself, pulling her legs underneath herself. She took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and forced her legs to straighten underneath her body. Her muscles screamed at her, as did just about everything else, but she ignored the feeling, focusing on staying upright on her wobbly legs.

She suddenly realized she could still smell the burnt flesh. Her head swiveled, trying desperately to place where it was coming from. When she was fairly sure of the direction, and of her ability to move, she unsteadily walked forward, moving slowly with her arms out in front of her. After about four feet of walking, her foot slid forward cautiously, bumping into something; something that felt an awful lot like a body.

Madie slowly slid downwards so she was sitting on her legs, her hands groping forward, hoping and yet not hoping it was Hiei. Her investigative fingers found cloth, and slid upwards towards what she hoped was the head; she found fluffy hair and a bandanna around the forehead. Her hands withdrew, and she wrapped her arms around herself. The overwhelming urge to cry enveloped her, caused by the single thought repeating over and over in her mind: _I'm stuck in Demon World; sightless, an unconscious Hiei, and alone._

* * *

Hours passed. Madison had ended up lying down next to Hiei, despite the whole unpleasant burnt flesh smell coming from him. Her sightless eyes stared up towards the sky as idle thoughts came and went through her mind, her cheeks still tear stained. _'I wonder what Kurama's doing…maybe he's eating dinner right about now…with his parents and step-brother…and then he'll go study for a while…Yusuke's probably at the arcade, beating the crud outta people…Kuwabara'll be at home, studying…and playing with Eikichi…cute cat..and Rina…'_ She felt tear spill down her cheeks again as she thought about the people she'd come to care for over here. They'd fight to the death for her, and look at what she was doing – sitting around here waiting to die. 

"Heh…Koenma will have to deal with Kuroda on his own I guess…" She murmured, chuckling slightly to herself. Somehow it seemed quite the irony to her at the moment that Koenma had prodded her into helping destroy Kuroda, and then she goes and dies before she even has the chance to battle him. "Quite ironic, if ya think about it…" She flinched as she felt something cold hit various random spots concurrently on her body. She stuck her tongue out, feeling something slightly salty dissolve upon contact.

"Snow…" She murmured, her eyelids feeling very heavy as the harsh cold assaulted her exhausted body. "I like the snow…" Her eyes closed, and she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Madison's eyelids lifted, blinking several times. Everything was tremendously blurry, but guessable as to what exactly it was. 

"Urameshi, look!" Kuwabara's excited voice drifted into her left ear, and the sound of shifting chairs soon ensued.

Madie slowly turned her head, just able to distinguish the forms of Yusuke and Kuwabara. "Hey boys…" She murmured, smiling slightly. Her head was still pounding, and her body was still throbbing slightly, but it was definitely better than it had been. She shifted her body underneath the covers, liking the feel of the soft sheets on her skin.

'_Wait - skin?!'_

It took only a moment to figure out the hard truth – she had no clothes on. And, coming to this conclusion, she did the only thing a girl in her position should do: she screamed. Long, loud, and blood-curdling, even as she pulled the covers over her head, blushing furiously.

She heard several loud thumps, grunts, and then Kurama's voice near the blankets. "Madison."

She quivered, huddling under the blankets. "Goway." She snapped embarrassedly.

"Here's some of your clothes."

She felt something placed on top of the covers, and a few seconds later the bedroom door closing. It took her a moment before she peeked out from under the covers; no one in sight. She scurried out from under the blankets, quickly pulling on the jeans and white t-shirt, her face still burning in embarrassment. She bit her lip, moving cautiously in the direction that she hoped the door was in, once she was fairly sure the red had disappeared from her cheeks. She had to search a little to find the handle, but she succeeded in opening it and exiting the room. She followed the wall towards the stairs. She misjudged the distance, however, and found the stairs sometime sooner than she had expected.

The scream stuck in her throat as she felt herself plunging downwards on these stairs; again. And yet again, she found her back pressed against someone, and strong arms wrapped around her waist, her own arms still stretched out towards the rail. "Careful there."

The girl felt a blush creeping back into her cheeks at Kurama's calm words. "I thought I was…" She mumbled, righting herself on her shaky legs. "I just missed the first step was all."

Kurama chuckled slightly, taking her arm and leading her the rest of the way down. "Your vision will be affected for several more hours, so you might want to be sure and keep someone with you until it returns to normal."

Madison followed him into the kitchen, her mind brimming with questions about what had taken place (and the matter of waking up naked had completely flown from her mind). She obeyed as he gently pushed her down onto a chair, the sounds of Yusuke and Kuwabara wrestling in the living room drifting into her ears. "Ne, Kurama, mind explaining what exactly happened? I know Hiei and I went to fight someone, but as to the end of the fight, my memory's fuzzier than my eyesight." She smiled wryly in his direction.

Kurama didn't respond for a few minutes as he was dishing up her food. He brought back the tray filled with rice, miso soup, and pickles. He placed the food, as well as a pair of chopsticks, in front of her, leaning against the counter before he answered. "The closest I can figure is that you and Hiei were struck by some sort of lightning bolt. Thanks to Hiei's quick reaction he managed to push you out of the way just before it struck, lessening your damage substantially."

Madison paused, the chopsticks half-way up to her lips. _'Why would he do that? He doesn't even like me!'_ "But if he pushed me out of the way…" Her eyes bulged as she remembered the scent of burnt flesh filling her nostrils. "Then what happened to Hiei?!" She demanded, setting down the chopsticks.

Kurama sighed, running his fingers through his hair tiredly. "He'll recover, in time. He has a large percentage of burns on his body, and he hasn't woken up yet, but I think that he'll be just fine."

"How long have I been asleep?" Madison asked.

Kurama thought a minute. "It's been three days since we found you two half-buried in the snow."

Madison gasped. "What about school?! What about Rina?!!?!"

Kurama gently pushed her back down. "I called Rina and everything at school is taken care of. Relax. You need to take it easy for a while. You're still not entirely healed, that was quite a beating you took."

Madison sat back down, staring down at her lap. "I…I could have died…" The words were barely audible, even to Kurama's attuned hearing. She couldn't see it, but her hands were shaking as she realized just how much she had cheated death.

Kurama hesitantly reached out and grabbed one of her hands. "But you didn't. You survived." He said reassuringly, squeezing her hand gently.

Madison nodded, flashing a small smile at him.

Just then the phone rang, and the red head hurried into the madhouse-for-a-living room to answer it, leaping nimbly of the tussling forms of Yusuke and Kuwabara to get it.

"Urameshi, I'm gonna cream you!!!" Kuwabara yelled, swinging a punch at his face.

"Fat chance slowpoke!" Yusuke yelled back, dodging and throwing his own.

Madison paused only a moment in the doorway before opening the front door and slipping out. She walked slowly down the street, enjoying the feeling of the cool pavement beneath her feet. She kept her head down, her hands jammed in the pockets of her light blue jeans. A cool breeze blew gently on her face, cooling the tears that threatened to spill from her emotion filled blue eyes. _'I'm going to Koenma. I can't do this anymore.'_

'**So you're just going to give up?'** Rang out Akane's accusing voice in her head.

"I can't take this anymore!" The tired girl spat, turning down a side street, her breathing becoming slightly heavier with the effort. Perhaps the fight had taken a little more out of her than she had realized. One hand went out, bracing herself on the wall. She blinked her eyes, trying to clear her vision, knowing that it wouldn't work and yet still hoping.

'**If memory serves you've never run from a fight before.'**

'_Fighting against regular humans is one thing – there's no danger of me dying!'_ Madison paused, suddenly realizing that there were figures surrounding her – several of them. _'Dammit, I didn't even realize they were there.'_ She mentally cursed herself. Her arm dropped back to her side, and she immediately tensed up, ready for a fight if need be. "Let me pass." She growled, wishing rather than believing that they would acquiesce.

Chuckles rippled through the crowd, from the sound of it made up entirely of boys. "Maybe if you give us a little something in return for our trouble."

A hand was placed on Madison's shoulder, and she whirled, shoving them away with a snarl "Don't touch me filth!" Her fists balled up, and she resembled something akin to an injured and cornered animal.

"You bitch."

Apparently the boy she had shoved away so viciously hadn't liked that very much, as he suddenly charged at her, throwing a punch at her head.

She tried to dodge, managing only to allow the punch to hit her throat instead of her head. She choked, her air flow momentarily cut off. Even so, she kept her head and didn't waste the opportunity. As his fist hit her throat, her own arms shot up and grabbed his throat. She twisted her body, flipping him over her shoulder and slamming him down on the ground. She stumbled back, clutching at her throat, gasping for air.

Through her haze she could vaguely see the boy lift himself off the ground.

"Boys," he paused, smirking "get her."

Madison gasped and whirled, thrashing as she felt at least a dozen pairs of hands laid on her body, holding her down. "Let go of me!" She yelled, breaking out into a colorful torrent of demonic curses. She continued to thrash, but she was weakening, and fast.

"Stop that!"

All paused as a commanding voice rang through the air. Madison's heart skipped a beat as she immediately recognized the voice: Kurama.

"Yeah, and what you gonna do about it, pretty boy?" It was the first one who had attacked Madie, the leader apparently.

"I don't wish a fight. Just let her go and we'll consider letting you go unscathed."

Madison couldn't see it from her position, but Yusuke and Kuwabara appeared out of the shadows, also appearing none too happy.

The leader of the gang took a step back involuntarily. "Yu-Yusuke Urameshi?!" He gasped in shock.

"Yeah, that's me. And like my buddy here said, let the girl go and we'll consider not pummeling you." Yusuke cracked his knuckles threateningly.

"Let her go guys, let's jet!" He yelled over his shoulder as he turned and bolted down the alleyway.

Madison found herself tumbling ruthlessly onto the hard ground with a thud as all of the boys dashed after their leader. "Ouch…" She groaned, forcing herself up into a sitting position. She rubbed her throat, coughing a little; it still hurt.

"Oi, Madison, you okay?!" Yusuke and Kuwabara demanded at the same time, worry laced through their voices.

Madison sweat dropped. "Mm, uh, yeah; thanks to you guys." She admitted sheepishly.

There was beeping from Yusuke's direction. It was his communicator, and he quickly answered it. A few minutes later, after a conversation with Botan, he grabbed Kuwabara's arm. "Demon trouble. Take care of Madison for us Kurama!" He called over his shoulder; both boys disappeared quickly down the alleyway.

"That was foolish." Kurama finally spoke, standing a few feet to the right of her.

Madison hung her head, not daring look up at him, even though his face still wouldn't have been distinguishable. "I know." She whispered, her hair falling around her face.

Kurama crouched down next to her. "Madison." His voice was gently, and he suddenly reached out and pulled her face up.

She felt her heartbeat quicken as she came face to face with him, and she mentally cursed her blurry vision. She could feel Kurama merely inches away from her face, and his warm breath on her lips.

"Madison, if anything happened to you I don't know…" He trailed off, bending in closer.

'_He's totally going to kiss me!'_ Madison's heart felt like it was going to beat its way out of her chest it was pounding so hard.

But it didn't come; he pulled back suddenly, releasing her chin. "We'd all be hit pretty hard." He finished lamely, pulling her up with him.

The next events all happened so fast Madison would never be able to recall them correctly. One minute she was standing next to Kurama, one of his hands resting on her shoulder. The next minute blood spattered everywhere; Kurama's blood. Kuroda's chilling voice drifted into her ears.

"Thank you ma' dear; just the chance I was waiting for."

Madison grunted as Kurama collapsed onto her. She slowly slid down onto the ground, his red sticky blood soaking her clothes quickly. She laid him down on the ground, her heartbeat erratic as she shook him frantically. "KURAMA!!!!!!" Her terrified scream rent through the calm evening air.

* * *

A/N: I apologize for for any mistakes there may have been in there. Frankly I was more concerned with getting it up, than a few spelling or grammatical errors. I would love some reviews people, if you have any to give! Jaa ne! 


	11. Chapter 11: Unpleasant Circumstances

A/N: Yay! Another chapter has been put up! Woot! D Thank you to all my loverly reviewers for chapter ten! Much luves to you all:  
Spirit Evolution  
Kuramastrass -Keiko Minamino-  
SlightlyBroken13

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Kuroda chuckled evilly, obviously amusing himself with the scene playing out before him. "My my. I wasn't expecting quite THAT much emotion. Very dramatic, I give you high points."

The silkiness, although it usually just grated on her nerves, was increased tenfold because of her agitation. "TEMEEEE!!!" She yelled, flinging herself at Kuroda, swinging her fists at him furiously, to upset to think about the fact that he was a demon.

Kuroda caught her wrists, pulling her close to his body.

Madison growled as she bumped against him, her stomach churning as she smelled his fowl breath. "Let go of me!!" She spat in his face, thrashing frantically to get out of his grip; to no avail. His grip was like steel around her wrists, and he didn't look ready to let go anytime soon.

"I could just take you, and then kill you…" He mused, smirking.

Madison paused a moment, processing what he had just said. Then her eyes widened and she renewed her struggles, biting and kicking included. "YOU PERVERTED DEMON!! LET GO OF ME I SAY!!!" She bellowed, pulling so hard on her wrists that she was wearing down the skin.

Kuroda sighed, finding it quite easy to contain the shrieking mass of a teenage girl. "You realize you're doing nothing but hurting yourself." He pointed out bemusedly, finding her rather amusing for the moment. That was, until she bit into his neck; the jugular vein, to be exact. Human or demon, they can't survive without oxygen. His eyes widened, and in one swift turn he had her turned around so her back was against him as he twisted her arms viciously behind her back.

Madison felt hot tears well up in her eyes, but she stifled the small scream of pain in her throat. It felt like he was tearing her arms off at the elbows, agonizingly slowly. She wanted to swallow the bile she felt rising in her throat, but didn't dare because of the blood on her lips and in her mouth.

Blood dripped from the wound on Kuroda's neck onto her arms as he breathed in and out, growls escaping his throat every now and then. "You…damn human. Who do you think you are?!" He shrieked, turning her around to face him.

She met his livid eyes with her own defiant ones. She was too tired and too worried about Kurama to even care about the fact that the demon whom was holding her right now could kill her faster than she could blink one of her pretty blue eyes.

"Insolent onna!" He yelled, slashing at her face.

The girl flew backwards, crashing into the building behind. She slid down onto her knees, coughing up blood due to the force of the impact. She looked at him through her anger filled gaze, her right eye completely shut due to the gashes across that side of her face.

Kuroda strode over, grabbing her neck and picking her up. He slammed her back against wall, causing her to gasp for air. "You have exhausted my patience. Farewell, to both of you!" He spat, bringing his right arm back and thrusting it forward.

Madison's good eye squeezed shut as she waited for it to come; the blow never came. She cracked it back open when she heard Kuroda gasp.

Something had wrapped itself around the demon's whole right arm, and in the blink of the eye he was ripped away from Madison and went spinning down the alley.

Madison slid down onto the ground, clutching her throat and gasping as oxygen filled her lungs again. When she dared look up she saw Yoko Kurama standing in front of her, his rose whip quivering for action. "Ku-Kurama!" She stuttered, struggling to her feet, her eyes wide as she stared openly at him.

"Stay back." He ordered, walking forward towards Kuroda.

Madison's legs gave way and she slid down to a sitting position on the pavement, her legs folded beneath her, still wheezing slightly. _'Yoko came out…Yoko came out…'_ It was as if her mind was stuck on repeat as she stared in wonderment at the silver-haired fox demon. Even she could feel the immense amount of demonic energy simply dripping off him. She couldn't form a coherent thought, and her legs felt like jelly.

Yoko continued to stride confidently towards Kuroda, anger flashing through his eyes. "Your death shall give me much pleasure." He snarled, cracking his rose whip threateningly.

Kuroda involuntarily took a step back, sucking in his breath in awe. "Well, Yoko Kurama, this is an unexpected pleasure! I never would have expected you to come out to protect that ningen over there. She's not worth your time." His voice was flattering and silky as always.

Yoko's threatening glare did not seem to appease. "Who I deem to be worth my time is none of your business filth!" He snapped, his eyes flashing.

The air of poisonous friendliness around Kuroda did not waver for even a moment. "Surely you wouldn't fight me here. Human will get involved, and we wouldn't want that." He cooed.

Yoko halted. Unfortunately Kuroda had a point. If they were to battle here, not only would humans become involved, but the existence of spirit world and demon world could not long be hidden afterwards. "What are you saying?" His eyes narrowed dangerously, warning Kuroda that if he tried anything he would kill him right then and there.

Kuroda smirked, stepping aside as a portal opened. "Let us take this to Demon World."

Yoko growled deep in his throat. "Are you saying I should trust that you won't attack me the minute I get to the other side?" He said sarcastically.

Kuroda's venomous smile never wavered. "I have every faith in your ability to counter it. I'm going through now, regardless of your decision." He stepped through and awaiting portal.

Yoko practically ran after him, his blood boiling. There was no way he was going to let this opportunity escape.

Madison managed to pull her scattered brains together enough to scream "NO YOKO NO!!" even as his silver tail and hair disappeared into the portal, which closed up immediately afterwards.

"Akane, if there was ever a time I needed you, it's now…" The teenage girl pleaded, her eyes closed, tears falling hot and fast down her cheeks, stinging as they hit the injuries on the right side of her face. No response.

"Dammit demon, talk!" She screamed, slamming her fist against the building wall.

'**Madison…I can't…'**

Came Akane's tired voice.

Madison appeared a little startled. "Why not?!" She demanded.

'**Appearing so much, and keeping up such a constant mental connection with you…it's taking a toll on me…and…'**

Madison's left eye flew open. _'And what?!'_ She held her breath as she waited for a response.

'**My time is nearly up.'**

"Wait, your _time_ is nearly up? What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" She snarled, feeling anger and frustration well up inside her. "Yoko and Kurama don't seem to have a problem with time!"

'**Kurama was still in his mother's belly when Yoko fused with him.'**

"I know that! What does that have to do with anything?!" Madison snapped in aggravation, worry nagging at her heart. The longer they sat here discussing this, the more danger that placed Kurama in!

'**You are fifteen-'**

"I'm almost sixteen!" Madison jumped in, speaking in English for the first time since her arrival.

'**Shut up you damn human and listen for once - YOU'RE TOO OLD AND YOU'RE BODY IS REJECTING ME!'**

The strain was obvious in Akane's voice inside Madie's head, and she jerked as the demon yelled. "What?!" Her jaw dropped, and her heart had skipped a beat at those words. "Akane! Come on, don't do this to me!" She cried, fresh tears gushing from her eyes.

'**I'm sorry…I need…to rest…'**

Akane's voice trailed off before disappearing entirely.

Madison felt fingers of fear grip around her heart. "Akane…Akane!!!" She screamed, her heart thudding in her chest. She sat back against the building, not noticing the rain clouds gathering overhead. She didn't hear the thunder boom in the distance, the lightning flashing nearby, or notice the rain begin to drip onto her skin. Her breathing was shallow and erratic as the feeling of terror completely took a hold of her body, causing it to shiver.

Her lower lip trembled as the tears dripped off her face and the intensity of the rain beating down upon her continued to increase. She felt completely useless and alone. Her head sank down onto her chest, and she buried her face in her hands and great sobs escaped her lips. Her whole body shook as huge tears ran down her cheeks, and sobs continued to rip from her throat.

The rain continued to beat down on her weeping form, soaking through her jeans and thin t-shirt in mere moments. Finally the waves of despair slowed, and she slowly lifted her face out of her hands. She hiccupped, bringing her fingers up to the right side of her face. She winced as they touched the torn flesh, but she gritted her teeth. She slowly pulled at her right eye, trying to force it to open. Pain shot through the whole right side of her face, causing her to gasp and withdraw her fingers.

It dulled to a throbbed, and the girl rubbed the tears on the left side of her face. _'Hiei. I have to tell Hiei.'_ She managed to form a coherent thought, forcing her numb legs into action. She forced herself into a standing pushing, using the building wall for balance as she moved as fast as they would take her down the alleyway, back towards the street. She paused only to swipe at the rain dripping into her eye before turning to her right and sprinting for Kurama's house.

She looked like some sort of drunkard who'd had about two hundred too many to drink with how much she swerved and stumbled, but she made it in one piece to Kurama's home without scaring too many drivers too badly. She staggered up the front steps, panic gripping her heart; no lights could be seen from within, and the car was gone from the driveway. "No no no NO!!" She screamed, slipping back into Japanese, pounding on the door. It was obvious the family was out for the night, and Hiei would probably be gone as well.

Her banging's on the door slowed down as her arms weakened, and she slowly slid onto her knees, resting her forehead on the door as fresh tears formed and spilled down her cheeks. "Kurama…" She sobbed, wrapping her arms around herself. Her small frame began to shake, from a combination of crying and cold. She was soaked to the bone, exhausted, and on the verge of despair.

Hiei suddenly opened the door, blinking in surprise. "O-onna?!"

Madison looked up. "Hiei! Kurama, he…Kuroda said…he'll be killed!" She wailed, bursting into a fresh batch of tears.

Hiei managed to catch the jibe of what she was saying. "Where is he?" He demanded. When he got no answer he crouched down in front of her, grasping her shoulders none to gently and shaking her roughly. "Pull yourself together! Where is he?!" He snapped, once more feeling contempt for humans and their weak emotions.

"Demon world." She managed to choke out, the pressure on her shoulders letting up and a slight whoosh past her informing her that Hiei had already left, probably sprinting towards the nearest portal. Her body and mind long ago gone numb, she somehow managed to stand up and stagger into the house, up the stairs, and into Kurama's room. She flung herself on the bed, burying her face in the pillow.

She eventually managed to cry herself into a fitful slumber.

* * *

"Madison. Madison, wake up."

Madison felt her shoulder being shaken, and a familiar voice drifted into her ear; her heart leapt for joy. "Kurama!" Her good eye flew open and she lunged, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders, bursting into fresh tears. _(A/N: Holy cow, more tears?!!!) _Kurama nearly fell backwards, partially from the impact, and partially from his injuries. He wasn't going to tell her, but even just having her hugging him like that was agonizingly painful.

He patted her back, awkwardly at first. "Of course I'm all right." He said soothingly, rubbing her back until the torrent of tears stopped.

She kept her face pressed against his chest, pulling one hand back and gripping the front of his shirt. "I was so scared that –hiccup- you weren't going to come –hiccup- come back." She tried unsuccessfully to control her hiccups, silently cursing the physical make-up of human bodies that caused them to hiccup after crying.

"Thanks to Hiei we managed to send him away with some damage, though not as much as I would have hoped." He reached down and tilted her face up, gazing down at her tear and blood stained face. His gaze traveled over the gashes on the right side of her face, which had stopped sometime during her slumber, leaving dried blood around the wounds. "I'll clean those up after you shower."

Madison slowly pulled back, rubbing at the wet spot on his shirt. She felt a little silly for that outburst, even a little embarrassed. She swung her legs off the bed, rubbing furiously at the tear stains on the left side of her face. She stood up, following after him down the hallway.

"I'll bring you some fresh clothes." He turned to go back to his room, stopping when he felt Madison's hand on his arm. He turned back, raising an eyebrow.

Her mouth was open, but no words came out. "I-I'm glad you're alright." She muttered finally, turning and walking quickly into the bathroom.

After he had brought her the change of clothes, she turned on the water, stepping in once it had warmed up. She stood for a while, just letting the warmth soak into her cold skin. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned against the wall. The 'sleep' she had gotten before Kurama's had awoken her really shouldn't be counted as sleep, as it had been anything BUT restful.

She hastily jerked her head up, shaking it slightly. _'Wake up! This is not the time for sleeping.'_ She chastised herself, vigorously rubbing shampoo into her long sandy colored hair. She stepped out twenty minutes later, drying off before slipping on the clothes Kurama had lent her. The slacks fit, but the shirt was a little bit too large; she didn't mind though, as it nicely hid the fact she wasn't wearing a bra.

Kurama groaned slightly, leaning forward on the couch, one arm wrapped around his stomach as pain shot through his torso. He forced his face to relax when he heard Madison's cautious footsteps descending the stairs. He leaned back, looking up and smiling at her in the doorway. "Feeling better?"

Madison smiled back at him, nodding. "Yeah."

The red head motioned her over, having her kneel in front of him. A bowl filled with steaming water was sitting on the coffee table, which he pulled towards him. "This will sting." He warned, wringing out the cloth sitting in the herbal water and pressing it gently against the wounds on her face.

To say it stung was an understatement. "KI-YA!" She yelped, jerking back involuntarily, tears springing into her eyes.

Kurama grabbed her arm, pulling her gently back. "Come on, trust me on this, it'll help it heal a lot faster." He gently began cleaning the wounds, biting his lip to keep from chuckling as the left side of the girl's face screwed up as he did so.

"There." Madison heard him say, followed by a dry cloth being pressed lightly against her wet skin. She slowly relaxed the left side of her face, waiting until he removed the cloth before opening her eyes. Thankfully, they both opened without a problem. She reached up, brushing her fingertips over the injuries. They didn't hurt as much now, thanks to Kurama's treatment. "Hey, thanks! They're much better now!" She said, smiling brightly.

Kurama's green eyes watched her silently, worry nagging at his belly. _'She shouldn't have to be put through this.'_ He thought, chuckling absent-mindedly at her ramblings. It wasn't fair, to her. She never should have been placed in her current position.

"Kurama?"

The red heads eyes refocused on the face of the girl in front of him. "Hm?"

Madison shifted uncomfortably, looking down at the floor. "Just before Kuroda showed up, you were…that is I thought that…maybe…" She tried, but failed miserably to voice what exactly she was getting at.

'_The kiss.'_ Kurama felt slightly remorseful at how close he'd come to loosing control of himself. He didn't want to confuse her anymore than she already was, and it just wouldn't be rational to form any sort of lasting attachment. She would be going home when this was all over, and neither of them needed that kind of heartbreak.

"Eh, never mind. I'm hungry. Let's get food." She jumped up, practically dragging him to the kitchen.

* * *

Madison sat down at the table, hunger gnawing at her stomach. She watched eagerly as he set a plate of sticky rice, chicken, and a bowl of soup in front of her, along with chopsticks. "Yum!" She exclaimed happily.

Kurama quickly fetched two glasses of water, mixing some healing seeds into his own so as to speed his own recovery. He wouldn't be able to keep up his calm demeanor for long with the fire burning through his stomach the way it was now. He nibbled at his food, his green eyes watching Madison. He came to a decision and cleared his throat. "Madison."

She looked up at him, the chopsticks hovering in front of her mouth. "Yes, oh-foxy-one?"

Kurama decided to ignore her little comment. "I will escort you back to Rina's, where you WILL rest up, while I go talk to Koenma about our situation. After that we'll take a day or so and just relax and have fun." He didn't verbalize it as a question; it was a statement. When she opened her mouth to object her gave her a stern look. "No buts. That's what we're doing, end of story." He stood up and went to retrieve his coat.

Madison just gaped after him, the food still hovering in front of her mouth. "Erm, okay." She quickly ate the rest, dumping the dishes in the sink before dashing out of the room. "Kuramaaaa! I need shoes!" She whined, leaping onto his bed.

Kurama looked his shoulder from his closet. "They're downstairs by the door, as always." He replied, pulling out two coats.

Madison raised an eyebrow. "Why'd you grab two?" She asked, scrambling off the bed and out the door after him as she spoke.

"One for me, one for you." He replied, pulling one around his own shoulders before holding the other one out for her. "We can't have you catching cold." He slipped on his shoes, and wrote a quick note to his mother before holding open the front door. He shut and locked it behind the two of them, trotting to catch up to her.

Madison had her hands buried deep in the pockets. It was rather nippy outside, and the wind was beginning to pick up. "Ne, Kurama, can I ask you a question? Purely hypothetical." She kept her eyes focused on the ground in front of her feet.

"Sure." Kurama peeked at her out of the corner of his eye; she seemed suddenly extremely serious.

"If the soul of a dying demon were to try and fuse itself with that of a human, say that of a teenager, what would happen if the meld didn't take? If the souls couldn't become one like that?" Her voice had gone soft as she spoke, her breath showing in the frosty air. She wasn't entirely sure that what Akane had said had been real, that she hadn't dreamt it; she didn't want to believe it. Deep down inside herself she knew it was true, but she hadn't wanted to believe it.

Kurama looked at her sharply. Her skin was paler than normal, and she seemed thinner, and not in a good way. Of course, it could just be the effects of the violent encounters with Kuroda and Mitsuko. But somehow the question set him on edge; he knew the minute she opened her mouth it was anything but a hypothetical question. "You shouldn't worry about things like that." He said, trying to fake a smile.

She didn't respond in kind. "I'm serious Kurama; I wanna know."

The smile on his face faded. "Eventually either one soul or the other will be pushed out, will be destroyed, or…" He trailed off, not wanting to state the third option.

"Or?" She pushed, coming to a halt; they're feet had led them into a large park, with a few people scattered here and there throughout, despite the cold.

Kurama placed a hand on her shoulder. "If both souls continue to struggle to maintain the union, both will deteriorate, taking the body with them." He said gently.

Madison somehow didn't find that surprising; as if she'd know it all along. "Then I'm going to die." She stated simply, forgetting that it was supposed to be 'hypothetical'.

"It's not inevitable. For instance if one soul were to give up, completely and utterly, the other soul would live on."

"As in go into that black pit never to return." She said, bitterness and anger laced throughout her voice.

"Madison, Akane has lived a very long and full life, besides the fact that I believe she'd do this for you."

Madison felt hot tears spill down her cheeks. "That's just the problem!! I didn't come here for people to get hurt or die on my behalf!!" She shouted, clenching her fists against her side.

Kurama turned her to face him, his hand never leaving her shoulder. "Madison, we protect you because we want to."

"I never ASKED to be protected!!" She shrieked, hysterics causing her to go into a blind fury. "I never ASKED for any of this to happen! I didn't ask Hiei to save me, I didn't ask Akane to meld with me, and I never asked you to risk your life for me!!" Her voice rose in pitch, if that were even possible. She flung his hand off her shoulder, spinning on her heel and sprinting away, the tears running hot and fast down her cheeks as she ran blindly through the park, her destination and route completely unknown, especially to herself.

"Madison!" She could hear Kurama shouting after her, but she paid no heed.

* * *

The blue-eyed girl came to a sudden stop as she rammed herself against a tree, sliding down onto her knees, physically and emotionally devastated. She leaned her forehead against the tree, large tears rolling and dripping down and off her cheeks. She didn't know how long she'd been running; in all honesty, she didn't care. Her body was shaking violently, from the hysteric fit she was having as much as from sheer exhaustion.

"Madison…" Kurama came running up, panting. He approached carefully: the last time he'd come near her on this chase she had screamed at him to "stay away from me you beast of pain" and chucked a small rock at his head while she sprinted away from him. Mind you, he wasn't the sort to hold it against her. Frankly he couldn't really blame her; all this was too much stress for any human to handle. When she didn't even seem to notice his approach he slowly crouched down next to her, reaching forward and brushing his fingers against her shoulder. "Madison?" He said gently, softly so as not to startle her.

She didn't respond at all, just cried harder.

The red head gathered her up in his arms, standing up. He turned and headed forward; he would rather have taken her back to Rina's home, but his was closer. He was startled, shocked even, when he felt Madison bury her face against his chest, gripping the front of his shirt tightly in her hands as she cried against him.

Under almost any other circumstances he would have blushed and been embarrassed. Instead he held her tighter, whispering comforting words in her ear as he walked quickly and steadily towards his house. He managed somehow to get the front door open and closed without disturbing her shaking frame. He went up the steps into his bedroom. He sat down on the bed, disentangling the jacket from around her frame even as she continued to cling to him. Somehow he managed to get his own jacket off, along with the shoes on his feet as well as the ones on hers. He moved her body off his lap and onto the bed, trying to stand up.

Her grip immediately tightened, and she held on tightly, unwilling to let him go just yet.

Not wanting to cause her anymore stress than she was already feeling, plus not wanting to test the limits of her strength on one of his nice shirts, sat back down.

She immediately curled her body against him; his comfort, his warmth, and his presence.

He carefully reached over and pulled a blanket on top of the both of them, staring up at the ceiling as he braced himself for a long night.

The slow, rhythmic stroking of his hand on her back eventually put her into a slumber, her breathing slowing and evening out; her grip on him not loosening at all.

Kurama stared up at the ceiling for a while, the urge to sleep finally taking a hold of him. "Madison…" He murmured as his eyelids drooped. "I'm sorry."

* * *

A/N: Mwahaha! I think y'all know the drill: REVIEW! Or not, depending. I just like knowing that people like this story and are actually reading it. But hey, call me a weirdo. xP In any case, like usual, sorry for any mistakes you may have seen in there! I art a lazy bum who doesn't bother to go back and check for spelling/grammatical errors in my chapters before I put them up. Hope y'all enjoyed. Jaa ne! 


	12. Chapter 12: Mood Swings

A/N: Ta da! Here is the awaited chapter twelve! As usual, no proof-reading done, so I hope it is okay. This chapter is more light-hearted than the past few chappies. I was getting all depressed thinking about the story, so I figured I need to 'happy' it up a bit. (lol Me and my use of the english language xP) Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

Madison awoke slowly; warmth. She could feel warmth. She slowly pulled her head back, wincing as the painful throbbing took up residence in her skull. She slowly opened her eyes, coming face-to-face with white. Slowly her gaze traveled upwards to Kurama's sleeping face. She rested her head on his chest, smiling slightly as she heard the rhythmic beat of his heart beneath her ear.

"How are you feeling?" Kurama asked quietly, apparently awake.

Madison blushed slightly. "A little better." She murmured, cuddling closer to him.

Kurama's green eyes watched her for a moment. "What are you doing?" He inquired finally.

"Nothing." She mumbled as a reply, slowly sitting up. She rubbed at her eyes, almost afraid to look in a mirror for fear of what she would find. "I must look terrible." She said ruefully, trying to run her fingers through her severally tangled locks.

"Not really; like you just woke up." The red head sat up, smirking.

"Big comfort." She grumbled sarcastically, sliding towards the other side of the bed. As she started to stand she felt Kurama grab her arm, tenderly.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked concernedly.

Madison thought a moment before answering. "I...I think so." She smiled wanly at him before gently slipping out of his grasp and out the door. She headed to the bathroom, shutting the door tightly. It took a moment before she slowly raised her eyes to the mirror above the sink. She winced slightly. The right side of her face was spoiled by the deep gashes; her eyes were red and puffy. Not surprised, after all the crying she'd done yesterday. Her whole body felt drained, and slightly weak, and yet, in a lot of ways, she felt better. Better than she had yesterday at any rate.

The water was cold and calming on her skin, although it caused the wounds to sting a little. She carefully dried her face, taking another peek into the mirror. The swelling around her eyes had gone down considerably, thank goodness. She sighed, turning and walking out. She returned to Kurama's room; he wasn't there. She shrugged, walking over to the dresser. "Now if I were a hot-red-headed-fox-demon-possessed boy, where would I put hair ties?" She tapped her lip absent-mindedly, her eyes darting quickly around the room.

She came down the stairs, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She had been successful, apparently. Kurama was at the front door, talking into the phone.

"Yes mother. Alright, thank you for calling. I'm sure I can manage. I love you too. Have fun." He hung up, turning around. "Come on. We're meeting Yusuke and Kuwabara." He proceeded to slip on his shoes.

Madison just blinked blankly at him. "We're what?"

"Meeting Yusuke and Kuwabara. Come on." He grabbed her hand and pulled her over towards the front door.

She numbly slid on her shoes, following him out the front door. "Why are we meeting them?" She asked, once they were a ways down the road.

Kurama strode next to her, the slight breeze ruffling his red locks slightly. "We are going to have fun. All of today. I think we could all use a break."

"Okay. Where are we going?" She asked, breaking into a trot as she attempted to keep up with his long legged strides.

"You'll see." The red head said enigmatically, sending one of his dazzling smiles at her.

He led Madison to the train station, leaving her alone while he went to purchase the tickets.

She sat down on one of the benches, drumming her fingers on the wood and humming softly to herself. She began to bounce one of her legs as she waited. _'Where on earth could he be taking me? And when are Yusuke and Kuwabara going to meet us? Are they going to meet us there? And why is Kurama being so-'_

"KI-YA!" She shriek, her body jolting forward violently as something fuzzy pressed against her neck. She butt slipped off the bench, crashing painfully onto the floor. She glared venomously over her shoulder at Yusuke and Kuwabara, who were standing behind the bench where she had previously been situated, laughing uncontrollably. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!" She screamed, clenching her fists. She wasn't really angry at them; she just hated surprises.

Yusuke and Kuwabara tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to control their mirth as the girl slipped into a string of demonic phrases, most of which should NOT be repeated in **_any_** kind of company.

"You realize you're attracting a lot of attention." Kurama commented, standing beside her.

Suddenly, Eikichi, the offending fuzz ball that had startled her in the first place, meowed from Kuwabara's arms.

Madison instantly turned into a puddle of girly cooing. "Awwww, kitty!" She crooned, snatching and cuddling the fur ball against her body. She began rambling on, about how cute he was, how soft his fur was, etc etc etc.

All three boys sweat dropped. "Now that's downright creepy." Yusuke said in a disturbed voice.

"Got that right." Kuwabara responded in same tone of voice.

"How do girls do that?"

"Switch from cussing at us in another language in the middle of a train station-"

"To cooing at a kitten as if nothing had ever happened."

"And all in the blink of an eye."

Kurama was the first to recover his wits. "I believe that is just one of the mysteries of the female mind. Madison, we really have to go." He shook her shoulder gently.

"Okaaaay." She stood up, still playing with the kitten. "We're going to go on a train ride now, okay cutie? Don't worry, there's nothing to be afraid of. 'Cause you've got Auntie Madie here to protect you. And of course there's Uncle Yusuke, and Uncle Kurama, and Uncle Kuwabara, who won't let anything happen to you. No they won't." She continued in her baby-talk voice, stepping onto the train.

The three males followed wordlessly after her.

Yusuke leaned over to Kurama. "You think she even remembers that's not her cat?" He whispered.

Kurama chuckled slightly. "I'm sure Kuwabara will get Eikichi back…eventually."

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Madison asked for the twelfth time. (Yes, it was being counted.) She drummed her fingers on the windowsill, staring bored out the window. 

"No." Kurama responded, flipping a page in the novel he had procured from heaven knows where. He was sitting directly across from her, one leg resting atop the other, reading his book.

Kuwabara, who was sitting next to Madie, was playing with Eikichi, having managed to retrieve the cute ball of fluff from Madison a little while back.

Yusuke was sitting next to Kurama, snoring in his sleep. He was stretched out so his legs were resting on the seat between Kuwabara and Madison.

Madison slouched on the seat, crossing her arms. "…Are we there yet?"

Kurama sighed, beginning to get a little exasperated. "The train will stop when we arrive. Until then you'll just have to be patient."

Madison made a pout face, pulling her hair over her shoulder and beginning to twirl it around her fingers. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of something out the window. She jumped up, pressing her face against the glass. "OHMYFREAKINGOSHILOVEYOUKURAMA!" She suddenly shrieked, throwing her arms around the startled red-head, smushing his book against his chest.

Yusuke and Kuwabara burst into gales of laughter when they say the current condition of their poor friend. "Madie, you're killing him!' Yusuke managed between laughs.

"Mmph!" He grunted, caught off guard. "Madison…can't breathe…" He wheezed due to the pressure on his lungs caused by her glomp.

"Sorry!" She leapt back, whirling on her feet and pressing her face against the glass again. "I can't believe you're taking us to Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise!" She squealed in delight, plopping down on her seat, excitement causing a flush to wash over her pale cheeks. "So that's why you were being so secretive, Mr. Enigmatical! Do you know how long I've wanted to go here? Forever! I used to _beg_ my parents every year during the summer to take me! This is like a dream come true!"

"I'm glad you find it acceptable." Kurama chuckled lightly, putting his book away, as much for the book's safety as his own.

"Acceptable?! Kurama, surely someone with a brain the size of yours can come up with a better word than that for this uncontainable bliss, utter exhilaration, pure ecstasy, complete happi-" She began listing off all the words she could think of to describe the excitement in her stomach that felt like she was going to explode from just thinking about the amusement park.

"Alright, I get the picture." Kurama held his hand up, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. It was nice to see her like this, rather than caught up in the chaos that was surrounding their lives right now.

"Kurama! I didn't know you packed these kind of bucks!" Yusuke exclaimed, leaning over his friend to peer out the window.

'_I don't. Koenma owed me.'_ Kurama kept his devious thoughts to himself, remembering the shocked look on the Prince of Spirit World's face when the red head had informed him that Spirit World resources were going to finance this little much needed vacation.

They soon arrived at their destination, hopping quickly off the train before it zoomed off. Madison's eyes were sparkling as she looked around herself. "Come on guys!" She cried enthusiastically, managing somehow to hook her arms through all three of the boys' arms and dragging them after herself.

A few hours later…

"Yusuke, please inform me how you managed to convince me to ride with you on this contraption of death?" She asked forced pleasantly, all the while looking like she wanted to hurl.

Yusuke leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "You were all for it while we were in the line."

Madison gripped the bar across her lap, gritting her teeth as the car traveled upwards. "Yusuke," she said through clenched teeth, "I. Am. Scared. Of. Roller. Coas**_TERS!_**" Her voice turned into a terrified scream at the very end of the word as the car plunged suddenly. Her eyes squeezed shut, and her hands began going numb from gripping the bar so hard. If she could still feel her stomach she knew she'd want to throw up, but she would almost swear that she had lost her heart and intestines back at the first drop.

She was so petrified she didn't even realize when the cars came to a halt. Her eyes were still shut, her hair was standing on end, and her hands may as well have been glued in place.

"Madison, the ride's over." Yusuke shook her shoulder, grinning from ear to ear, partially from the roller coaster and partially from her reaction. When he got no response, he coughed, grabbing her hands and prying them away from the bar. "Madie, it's OVER!" He practically shouted in her ear.

The teen girl jumped suddenly, backhanding him purely out of reflex. "Yusu-LAND!!" She shrieked suddenly, scrambling over Yusuke and dropping onto the platform. She lay for a minute, face down on the wood, thanking all the deities she could think of that they hadn't crashed and died. Plus her legs were too shaky to hold her up, and she wasn't entirely sure that she would be able to keep down the contents of her newly reunited stomach.

"Come on." Yusuke dragged her onto her feet, pulling her after him.

Madison clung to his arm so she didn't fall. "Yusuke Urameshi, that's the last time I let you convince me to go on a ride!" She grumbled as they exited and headed over to where the others were waiting.

"How was it?" Kurama asked in his usual relaxed manner, his hands in his pockets.

Madison swallowed hard. "It was… quite an… experience…" She replied honestly, folding her arms over her stomach.

Yusuke laughed, slapping her gently on the back. "Come on, you know you-" He was interrupted by Madison clapping her hands over her mouth and racing frantically for the bathrooms.

Kuwabara laughed. "Pay up Urameshi!" He announced triumphantly, holding out his hand.

"Aw come on, best outta' three." The black haired teen pleaded, not wanting to admit defeat.

Kurama looked at them disapprovingly. "You guys shouldn't bet based upon another's tolerance for thrills." He frowned slightly at them, absent-mindedly petting Eikichi, who was currently residing in his arms.

Madison finally came back a few minutes later, looking much better than she had just a little bit ago. "Yusuke, you are never taking me on a roller coaster again. Kurama, never let me go on a roller coaster ago. _Ever_." She turned her begging eyes upon the red head, pleading for him to oblige her.

* * *

Madison stumbled onto the train, a large stuffed fox underneath one arm, a few, smaller stuffed animals of various shapes somehow held underneath the other arm. Kurama followed directly behind her, reached forward and turning her so she headed down the aisle and didn't walk into the wall on the other side. Yusuke and Kuwabara came right after him, both yawning tiredly. 

Kurama directed Madison into one of the seats, sitting down across from her.

As before, Yusuke flopped down next to him and put his legs up on the seat between Madison and Kuwabara.

Madison rested her head against the window, curled her legs underneath her, and snuggled her prizes against her chest, falling asleep almost instantly.

Kuwabara and Yusuke started snoring almost simultaneously.

Kurama stood up, reaching above the seats for something. He draped the courtesy blanket over her, tucking it around her. He rescued Eikichi from Kuwabara's grasp before sitting back down, petting the sleepy kitty absent-mindedly as he stared listlessly out the window. While his three companions might be able to sleep, he surely could not. His mind was working as fast as it ever did, trying to find a solution to their problem: Kuroda; him and his little helper, Mistuko. Neither one seemed too inclined to die anytime soon, not easily at least, or just surrender. And even the combined power of Yoko and Hiei hadn't been enough to do much damage to him, let alone kill him.

He sighed, his eyes focusing on Madison in the dimming light. She seemed at such peace while she slept, it was just too bad she couldn't feel that when she was awake. He sighed, pushing some of his red locks behind his shoulder. _'Genkai. I'll take her to see Genkai tomorrow.'_ He decided, his eyes straying up to the moon in the sky. It was going to be a long ride home.

"Madison, we need to talk."

Madison paused in the doorway, after having unsuccessfully thought she had snuck in without waking her caretaker. "What about, Rina?" She asked, wondering at the woman's serious tone.

"Madison, you know I care about you, and that I trust you. However…"

Madison shivered, looking up towards Kurama's window. The tree that grew so nicely right beside it looked awfully tall, and it was swaying slightly in the fierce winds that were buffeting her thin frame. Her teeth were chattering a little bit, and she rubbed her arms, debating. She really needed to talk with him, but she was more than a little bit leery of knocking on the front door at three in the morning. "Why must you be on the second floor, ya darn fox?" She grumbled, finally making up her mind and reaching up for the nearest branch. She scrambled up the tree, finally reaching the appropriate branch. The last hurdle: going out on a limb - literally.

"Alright then." She swallowed hard, looking at the not-so-sturdy-looking branch that she was supposed to climb out onto. Her eyes strayed downwards, and she quickly pulled them back up. "Window window window window window window…" She murmured, trying to gain the courage to move out onto the branch. A particularly cold gust up wind causing the tree to shudder forced her into action. In the blink of an eye she was on the tip of the branch, knocking on the boy's window and hissing his name. "Hurry up and open you window Kurama!"

A particularly sleep looking Kurama shuffled over to the window, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he fumbled with the latch. "Just hang on." He grumbled, pulling open the window.

Madison flung herself inside and onto the floor, heaving a sigh of relief. "Took ya' long enough." She groused playfully.

Kurama shut the window, looking mildly confused. "What…why'zactly did you come banging on my window in the dead of night?" His speech was slightly slurred even as he tried to force himself into some state of consciousness.

Madison sat up, wrapping her arms around her legs. "I told Rina." She wouldn't meet his gaze, just examined the carpet quite carefully.

Kurama drew in his breath sharply. "Told her what exactly?" He was wide awake now, and a little bit apprehensive.

"Everything. About you, about Spirit World, the works…" Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she wished she could sink through the floor. "She was getting suspicious of my actions, and the fact that I didn't seem to be doing any 'remembering'. So she asked me about it after I got home, and I couldn't come up with a convincing explanation, so…" She trailed off, hiding her face in her arms. Everyone worked so hard to keep humans from finding about this stuff, and now she may as well have just signed everyone's doom! Alright, maybe that was a little bit of an exaggeration, but she still felt terrible about it.

While Kurama's face didn't betray his thoughts, his mind was whirring again. _'She told Rina? Koenma's going to blow a gasket when he hears about this.'_ "It may not turn out as bad as you think. How did she react when you told her?" He sat down across from her, so he wasn't quite as intimidating just standing there looking down at her.

"Well, she looked kinda shocked, and I don't think she believed me at first. But then when she realized I was being completely serious, her face went pale, and for a moment she looked about ready to feint. Instead she simply got up, said good-night, and went into her bedroom… I knew I shouldn't have told her!" Madie slammed her fist down towards the ground; she met Kurama's hand instead.

"Don't wake my mother please." Kurama said pleasantly, placing her fist back on her lap. "I wouldn't suggest bringing the subject up again for a few days. Rina will need some time to soak it all in. In the meantime, we'll have to inform Koenma, and find out what he thinks would be-"

"But he'll just say to erase her memory!" Madison broke in, quietly, but vehemently.

Kurama held up his hand. "We don't know that for sure, you shouldn't jump to conclusions." He reprimanded her gently. "I believe our best course of action would be to wait a few days and see what happens, and then inform Koenma."

"Fine." She sighed, a feeling of tiredness sweeping over her. "I should get back before I pass out. 'Night." She slowly stood up, stepping over to the window. She stepped up so she was standing on the windowsill of the window and began leaning out. Her eyes involuntarily moved downwards and she froze, her eyes widened. The ground looked so far down, the room was so warm, and that branch looked anything but sturdy.

"Madison, you may use the front door if that makes you more comforta-"

"YES!" She whirled, throwing her arms around his shoulders as she jumped off the windowsill. "Thankyouthankyou thankyouthankyou! Thatbranchdoesn'tlooklikeitcanholdmuchweightandIreallydidn'twanna-"

"Madison." Kurama broke in, feeling slightly awkward after she had glomped him. "It's alright, you don't have to explain."

"Oh." She pulled back, glad that the darkness was hiding the blush on her face. "Well, anyway, thank you."

Kurama followed behind as she walked to the front door, smiling secretly to himself. _'Add that to the list of things she's afraid of: heights.'_ Aloud he said "good night Madison" and shut the door, locking it. Something stirred in the kitchen, causing his green eyes to shift suspiciously. His footsteps light and every sense alert he crept over to the kitchen, one hand slipping subconsciously into his hair, pulling out the red rose. He didn't transform it into the rose whip just yet, perhaps it was nothing…but then again it could be some kind of a minion for Kuroda, and he didn't dare take that kind of a risk. "Hello?" His voice was low, but threatening, as if daring the intruder to try anything.

Nothing stirred; downstairs.

Upstairs, in the teen's bedroom, a shadow demon detached themselves from the wall, chuckling softly. "Hehe. So, the fox has a girl now, eh? Master will be pleased to hear about that."

"Be pleased to hear about what, exactly?" Kurama said pleasantly from the doorway, his rose whip out and quivering for action.

The demon's eyes widened, and they quickly backed towards the wall. "Don't harm me." They hissed.

Kurama strode forward, grabbing the demon's arm roughly. "I have no wish to, so long as you answer this question: who is your Master? Is it Kuroda?" His voice was low and menacing.

"You shall never know. You shall know nothing but shadows!" He shrieked the last sentence, sounding like a rabbit. (Rabbits let out a horrible, heart-wrenching, high pitched shriek when they're dying. :(

The shadows seemed to leap from the walls, engulfing the red head. Agony stung at his eyes, causing him to release the shadow demon, who instantly fled out the window. He wrapped one arm around his eyes, biting his lip to keep from crying out. The pain dispelled moments later, leaving him panting slightly.

"Shuiichi! Are you alright? What was that terrible screaming?" His mother appeared in the doorway, apparently having been waked by the noise.

"It was a cat mother, nothing to worry about. I'm sorry for having woken you."

"Oh. Alright then. Good night sweetie."

He waited until he heard her close the door before he tried opening his eyes. Fear struck through his heart as he realized a shocking fact: he couldn't see. The shadows had apparently temporarily blinded him. It was only temporary, thankfully; he could feel it. But it was frightening all the same. He reached out, moving forward until he found the wall. He managed to get the window shut and stumbled over to his bed, collapsing down onto it. He curled up under the blankets, his green eyes trying desperately trying to pierce the darkness around him. If something happened while he was in this condition...

He shuddered to think of what could happen.

Meanwhile…

Madison was lying on her own bed, unaware of the boy's predicament, staring dreamily up at the stars above her. "Ah Kurama…" She felt her heart flutter when she spoke his name, causing her to blush a little. "What would Mom and Dad say if they met him? Why am I asking that question, I know they would adore him. He's such a gentlemen, he would just charm the socks off them." She giggled as she had the image of her parent's socks coming off while talking to him. "Maybe that wouldn't be such a good thing…" She rolled over onto her side, putting one arm underneath her head. "I think I could get used to this…" She murmured, her eyelids closing over her blue eyes as sleep overtook her.

* * *

A/N: Well, 'twas a little bit shorter than my other chapter, but oh well. I had myself written into a corner for a little bit, so it took me a while to get the chapter even finished! But, there it is, hope y'all liked it. Review please! Jaa! 


	13. Chapter 13: Back On Your Feet

A/N: Hello people! I know it's been a while since I last updated. Gomen nasai! I've just been so busy, and I couldn't seem to conjure up enough creativity to continue writing this story. Plus, I only got one review for the last chapter, which caused my paranoid brain to beginning worrying about whether or not people were actually enjoying this story. I sure hope you are!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Madison, Shuiichi's on the phone for you." Rina shook the sleeping girl's shoulder.

"Goway." She grumbled, rolling over and burying her face in the pillow. One hand reached down and snagged the blankets, pulling them up over her head.

The older woman sighed, tugging at the blankets. "He said it was urgent."

"He prolly let one of his bunnies loose…" The blonde haired girl mumbled, not seeming to notice as the blankets were pulled from her grasp.

Rina looked slightly confused, before she realized that the girl wasn't actually awake yet. "Bunnies or no, he said it was urgent. Now wake up!" She shook the girl again, more forcefully this time.

"ISAYGOWAY!" Madison growled sleepily, trying to but failing miserably to look menacing or threatening. Her eyelids were cracked opon, revealing just the slightest hint of blue. She vaguely felt something hard, presumably the phone, being shoved into her hands, and her body sank back into the mattress as Rina released her and headed back downstairs. It took a moment for anything to process in her brain. "'Ello?" She mumbled, sleep laced heavily through her voice.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"That's the understatement of the year." She grumbled. At least, that was what she had intended to say. Due to her sleepiness, she slurred it into something more along the lines of "Thad ze undastaymnt of the yeah…" She yawned after finishing her sentence, her eyes closing again briefly.

Kurama, on the other end of the phone line, chuckled a little. "Perhaps I should call back later."

"Naw, 's'kay. Whadja need?" She rubbed at her eyes with her free hand, propping herself up on her elbows.

"If you're sure. Would you mind coming over here? There's something I need to discuss with you."

"Sure, I could probably head over, I guess. How come you can't just come over here instead of waiting on me? And what is so important that you would have to call me before I wake to tell me to come over and discuss it with you?" She couldn't keep the hint of irritation out of her voice.

'_Because finding your house would be rather difficult…'_ He kept that thought to himself, not wanting to worry her excessively, at least while he wasn't there in person to reassure her that he wasn't dead, dying, or anything else her imagination could conjure up. "Trust me, it's important." He said quietly, ignoring the irritation in her voice. "I'm not saying you have to, I just thought that-"

"No no, I'm coming. You obviously needed to talk about it. I'm just a bit grumpy when I get woken up." She mumbled, trying to mend his hurt feelings.

* * *

It took over an hour for her to actually arrive at his house. She knocked on the door, stepping back and leaning on her knees to try and catch her breath. She'd fallen back asleep after finishing talking with him and Rina and re-awoken the sleeping beast only fifteen minutes ago - which then led to a mad dash around the room to fetch her clothes, scrambling for something to shove down her throat as she raced out of the door, ending up here, out of breath with leg muscles screaming obscenities at her. 

"Ah, Madison. Please come in." Kurama's mother greeted the guest warmly, opening the door wide. "He's upstairs in his room. Would you like me to call him?" She offered, but Madison refused.

"No, thank you. He told me to just come up." She smiled, jogging up the stairs. "Kurama, you better be decent because I'm coming in." She shoved open the door. She was greeted by the sight of Kurama sitting in front of his window, his head resting in his hands. She didn't know why, but something about his manner told her that he hadn't slept. "Girl problems?" She said teasingly, approaching cautiously.

Kurama sighed, shaking his head. "If only it were that simple."

She sat down next to him, leaning her back against the wall. "Then what?" She inquired, resting her arms on her bent knees.

Kurama kept his face turned away from her whilst he spoke. "After you left last night there was in intruder." He heard a small gasp and hurried to reassure her. "There were no wounds or injuries; no one got hurt. It was a shadow demon, spying on me here in my room. I have no idea who he was working for, he managed to get away." He smiled ruefully, remembering exactly why the demon had been able to escape.

Madison raised an eyebrow. "He managed to get away? Howzat? That doesn't seem like you…" She said doubtfully. "And why won't you look at me when you're talking to me? Was I right, did you get an injury? Is it bad? Were you poisoned? Did you-"

"Nothing like that!" Kurama snapped, a little more forcefully than originally intended. He was a little bit more on edge, admittedly, seeing as he had temporarily lost the use of his vision. The fact that Youko himself was steaming mad, and made no attempt at quelling or suppressing the feeling from leaking into his human side's mind really didn't help matters at all.

Madison blinked; even she hadn't been able to miss the obvious irritation in his voice. "Well if it's not that, then…what is it?" She asked quietly, afraid he was going to snap at her again.

Kurama sighed. "I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that. I'm just a bit edgy since the encounter." He apologized.

Madison waved it off. "It's alright. Just…tell me what's wrong."

Kurama struggled a little internally. No matter how long he lived in the human world, there would always be an unwillingness to show one's weakness due to Youko's former life. That was a self-defense mechanism that would not go away with time. He doubted he'd ever lose it entirely, even if someday Youko were to theoretically be gone. Slowly, he turned himself towards her, his eyes desperately trying to break the blackness that currently shrouded his gaze worse than a heavy fog.

Madison gazed at his face, searching for the answer to her question. "Kurama," she began hesitantly "why do your eyes look so unfocused and…clouded?"

The red head took a deep breath, searching around and resting his hand on her shoulder. "That demon I ran into last night, it was a shadow demon. He placed some sort of a curse upon me, using his shadows. A temporary one, thank goodness. It's not permanent, and I'll be back to myself in no time at all." He reassured her confidently, although inside he was far from being that confident about it.

Madison just sat, slightly dazed and shocked. "So you're…blind…" She said quietly, a statement, not a question.

"Only temporarily." He reminded her hurriedly.

Worry shone visibly in her eyes, and a tear sparkled as it strayed down her cheek unbidden. She rubbed it away with the back of her hand; the thought of anyone, especially him, being hurt because of her caused her stomach to constrict painfully, and made her young heart ache. "I'm sorry…" She murmured, ducking her head, her tone one of apology.

It hurt to hear her speak so. He reached one hand, tilting her chin up. "Don't be; accidents happen. It's not your fault." He said firmly.

Just that one small touch sent shivers running up her spine, and sent pink creeping into her cheeks. She looked down at the ground, forgetting momentarily that he couldn't see.

"Madison, are you blushing?" He asked, a hint of surprise and teasing in his soothing voice. Her skin was warm, and he had sensed her heartbeat quicken at his touch.

"No!" She retorted, glaring at him. _'Darn him and those fox senses!'_ "It's just a little bit warm in here." She explained promptly, leaning back against the wall once again. She prayed he wouldn't ask further; it would be awkward. She liked him a lot, she thought he might even like her a little bit, but admitting it out loud is something completely different. She also had fears that were she to admit that to him, it might scare him off.

Kurama's hands dropped back into his lap, not pushing the matter further. "We should get going. Genkai won't wait forever, and the sooner we get there, the more training we can get in."

Madison's head snapped up. "Training?" She demanded curiously.

"I will need some practice before getting into a real fight in this condition. And I believe Genkai would be a better one for helping you with Akane than anyone else. Now, we have to catch the train there, so grab a couple of books."

* * *

"I thought…you said...she had just…a few…steps up to….her temple." Madison wheezed, her lungs tight as she painfully crept up the long flight of stairs. Her legs ached, a burning sensation running races up and down her muscles. She was sweating heavily, not being used to this amount of a workout. 

"Not that much further." Kurama, who was in fact already at the top and waiting for her, assured her confidently, his attuned hearing informing him of her whereabouts on the torturous steps.

"Easy…for you…to say…" She panted, dragging her sore feet over the last step. She leaned down on her knees, glaring at Kurama. "You did that on purpose." She said accusatorily.

Kurama went wide-eyed behind his dark sunglasses. "Did what?" He asked innocently.

"You know what you did." She snapped, straightening up and turning to look back at the source of her pain. "HA! I WON!" She yelled, shaking her fist at the stone steps.

"So this is her?"

She whirled as she heard a voice behind her. She was greeted by the sight of a remarkably short woman with flowing pink hair and calculating green eyes. She was dressed simply, and looked to be getting one in age, and yet the air she exuded led one to believe was quite nimble still. Madison felt humbled just looking at the woman. "You- you're Genkai?" She said incredulously. She had envisioned this great warrior a little bit differently.

"Yes. I teach manners as well as fighting techniques. Pleasure to meet you." She gave a quick bow, turning and walking back towards the house, motioning for the two of them to follow.

Madison's cheeks were flushed with embarrassment at the reprimand. She grabbed Kurama's arm, tugging him along behind her. Once they were inside and seated Madison peeked around at the room. It was almost like stepping into a piece of history. The furniture, the building, even Genkai herself seemed like they were just a little bit behind the times.

"Thank you." Kurama accepted the cup of tea the psychic literally pressed into his hands.

"Tea?" Genkai offered a brimming cup of the steaming liquid to the teen girl.

"I don't really drink tea." Madison admitted apologetically.

"Mmm." The woman set the cup down in front of the girl as she hadn't heard, pouring another cup for herself. She sipped it for a few minutes before speaking again. "Now what's this problem you have?" She inquired, still holding her tea cup in her hands.

Kurama reached up, pulling the sunglasses away from his unseeing eyes, laying them carefully on the table. "Madison here needs some help."

Genkai's brows furrowed as she looked at the boy's eyes, then shifted her gaze onto the blue-eyed teenage girl next to him.

Madison shifted awkwardly under the woman's gaze. "I…uh…" She stirred her tea furiously, suddenly unsure of how to explain all this. "Kurama you explain.." She mumbled, not lifting her gaze from the liquid in front of her.

Kurama sighed and looked like he was about to, but Genkai held up a hand. "It's your problem, you explain it."

Madison swallowed hard. "I…I have a demon buried in my consciousness. She came there when I came from another dimension. Whenever I got in a sticky situation, she would come out and save my butt. But after our last encounter with Kuroda, she's saying that the meld isn't taking, so she can't come out anymore, and it's hard even just talking to her because she's afraid to weaken the bond too much. And well, I guess we were kind of hoping that you could maybe help me with this..." She trailed off, not sure if she had made much sense.

"Hmm…" Genkai looked thoughtfully down at her tea. "Perhaps you should try helping the meld take better." She finished off her tea, setting the cup down on the table.

Madison looked slightly confused. "But I…I don't know how to do that…" She admitted self-consciously.

"Obviously, or else Kurama would not have brought you here to ask for my help. I suppose you'll both have to stay here for the next couple days, since Kurama can't get around by himself." The woman motioned for Madison to leave. "Your room is down that hall, turn left, take an immediate right, and go all the way to the end. It's the last door on the left. Kurama and I have things to talk about." Once she was gone Genkai turned her attention onto Kurama. "Now, tell me more about this Kuroda fellow, and the demon inside of Madison."

* * *

"Now, you say that she, Akane, is afraid to talk for fear of weakening the bond too much?" Genkai inquired from her position a few feet away from her guest, her arms crossed. 

Madison was seated cross-legged on the ground, nodding. "She's afraid that if we push it too much, one or both of us might…die." She shivered just thinking about what that could mean for her. She didn't want to die, she wasn't ready to die, especially not here!

"Well then, we should hurry up and get started. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing." The old woman instructed, watching approvingly as her temporary student followed her directions. "All right. Once you're relaxed, clear your mind of all thoughts. This is vital. If you have other thoughts floating around in your mind, you cannot give this the proper attention."

Madison concentrated hard, trying to do as she was instructed. But thoughts kept crowding into her mind. _'Will this really work? Will Kurama be okay? I can't possibly do this! This has to all be a dream, there's no way I can-'_

"Fool! You're not concentrating on your breathing anymore! Focus on keeping your breathing even and steady, and it'll be easier for you." Genkai's irritated voice broke into the girl's thoughts, causing her to wince. "Y-yes!" She took a deep breath, focusing on her breathing. In, out, in, out, in, out… It was kind of amazing. When she thought of nothing but her breathing, everything else just seemed to float away.

"Now, try to find Akane. Don't speak with her, just observe her presence."

"But how do I-" Madison's eyes began to open as she spoke.

"Concentrate!" Genkai snapped, causing the girl's eyes to snap shut immediately. "Look for her in your mind. She'll probably have taken on some sort of form even inside your mind."

Madison steadied her breath, looking for the demon. Her brows furrowed slightly as she saw a figure standing alone in the darkness. The figure had forest green hair with black tips, and there was an air of despair around her. Outwardly, Madison murmured to Genkai "Found her."

Genkai smirked a little. "Good. _Now_ I want you to talk to her. Don't withdraw, no matter what."

Madie didn't question, she just obeyed.

"_Akane?" She called hesitantly. _

**_The figure whirled around. "M-Madison!" She exclaimed, her face full of disbelief. "How did you…how is this.."_**

"_Genkai's helping me. Please Akane, isn't there something we can do?" She pleaded._

**_Akane looked thoughtful. "There is, but I don't know that you can handle it."_**

"_I can! I have to. We need you Akane! If you don't help us, then Kuroda will…" Madison knew she needn't finish that sentence. Akane knew it better than she did._

**_Akane sighed. "You must open your mind to me, completely. You must hold nothing back. If you do that, then I will be able to hang on for a while longer. But also, you would be exposed to my mind, completely. I didn't want to suggest it earlier for fear that your human mind would not be able to take it all in. You must remember how long I've lived. Human brains weren't meant to be able to sustain that amount of knowledge and memory. You could be permanently damaged because of this." She warned._**

_Madison was slightly taken aback. She hadn't even considered that part. If what she'd experienced by just being privy to a few of Akane's memories, then being exposed to them all at once… _

She shuddered visibly, doubt creeping into her heart. Perhaps she shouldn't go through with this. It was her life after all, that was hanging in the balance here. Why should she take that kind of a risk? There was no guarantee that it would work. And what good would come from her dying? If she stayed alive at the very least she would have those few memories she had already gotten from Akane. Perhaps they held something that could help them! Deep in her heart, she knew that wasn't true.

"_Let's do it." Her answer was a little bit shaky, but decisive. There were more people to think about here than just herself. She couldn't be so selfish as to care only about her own life. They all wanted to stay alive just as much as she did!_

**_Akane looked slightly surprised. "If you're quite sure."_**

"_I am."_

**_Akane closed her eyes, tilting her head back. "This will hurt." She warned, unleashing the fullness of her mind upon the girl._**

Without realizing it a scream escaped from Madison's physical body, and she slumped over on the ground, unconscious.

**A long time later….**

Madison's blue eyes fluttered open, feeling absolutely exhausted. She could see Genkai seated next to her bed, reading a book. "How long have I been here?" She asked sleepily.

"You've been unconscious for two days now." Was the response, as a page of the book was flipped.

"Two days?" Madison murmured in wonder, her head still aching. Akane had done her best to be gentle, but it hadn't helped much. "Did it work?" She asked, slowly propping herself up on her elbows.

"You tell me." was the unsatisfying response.

"I hope so." Madison murmured, pushing herself into a sitting position. "Ah! Kurama! How is he? Where is he?" She asked.

Genkai couldn't contain a small smile. "He's fine. You worried him quite a bit when you screamed, but he was fine when I assured him you weren't actually hurt."

"Is he…uh, has his sight come back yet?" She asked hopefully.

"Why don't you go find out? He's outside."

Madison pushed the blankets off, glad that she was still in her own clothes. She headed confidently out of the room, pausing as she realized she had absolutely no idea of how to get outside. She smiled nervously, looking around before heading off to her right. "It shouldn't really matter. I mean, it should all lead outside at some point, right? Right." After several minutes of wandering she managed to find a door to the outside world.

A smile crept onto her face. She could see Kurama practicing with his rose whip in the clearing by the temple. "Kurama!" She called, jogging towards him.

Kurama's head turned as he heard her call his name. "Madison!" He smiled, putting the rose whip away. He felt relief wash over him that she was alright.

Madison came to a stop in front of him, her eyes searching his. "I'm so glad." She sighed with relief. His eyes were clear emerald green once again, indicating that his vision had indeed returned.

"Are you sure you're all right?" He asked, looking down at her affectionately.

Her face took on a thoughtful look. "I…I think so. I'm still here, so I guess it must have worked, right?"

"Yes, I-"

The red head was interrupted by a loud growl emanating from the girl's stomach. She 'meep'ed, feeling a blush creep into her cheeks, wrapping her arms around her stomach as embarrassment washed over her. "So hungry…" She groaned pitifully.

Kurama couldn't help a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Let's get you something to eat, shall we?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically, bounding after him. Within a few moments she was happily seated outside again, hungrily devouring a sandwich. "Whowould'athoughtshewouldhavesandwiches." She commented quickly in between two bites.

Kurama quirked an eyebrow at her. "Pardon me?"

"Nevermind." She garbled as she hurriedly finished off the last bite of sandwich. "That's better." She sighed happily, her eyes closing in contentment.

Kurama watched her for a moment before commenting "Don't you think you've slept enough lately?"

Madison peeked one eye open at him. "I'm not sleeping. This is called the lazy feeling after you have just eaten after having not eaten for a couple days, also known as relaxation." Her eye shut again and she settled back against the wall behind her. She felt oddly at peace, now that the whole life and death experience was over. Her headache was still around, but it had subsided, and now that she had sustenance in her stomach, it was as if everything had become simple again.

"Have you ever done martial arts?"

"Huh?" Her eyes opened at the sound of Kurama's odd inquiry. "Martial arts? Uh, no. Why?"

"Well, I suppose I should give you a few lessons then. You can't always rely solely on Akane's power to get you through tough situations. Come on." He stood up, proffering his hand.

Madison groaned, taking the extended appendage and pulling herself up, grumbling half-heartedly "Not five minutes after I'm out of the sick bed and already you begin slave-driving me."

Kurama smirked, facing her in the clearing. "If I were truly slave-driving you, I wouldn't have given you food first. Throw a punch at me."

Madison raised an eyebrow at the oddness of the last statement. "Throw a punch at you? I'm not gonna punch you!" She crossed her arms, shaking her head slightly.

Kurama sighed. "If you're afraid of hurting me, don't be. First off I highly doubt that you are actually capable of hurting me. Second I'm not telling you to try stabbing me or anything, just throw a punch so that I can observe your form. Please don't worry about hurting me."

Madison rolled her eyes, loosening her arms. "Fine fine fine. Here I come." She balled up her fist, swinging it half-heartedly at him.

The red head caught her throw with ease. "You call that a punch?" He asked dubiously. "If you don't come at me with killing intent then I'm afraid I can't help. At least mean it this time."

Madison pulled her arm back, feeling a little bit silly, but she dutifully wound it back and threw it full force at his face; he side-stepped instead of merely blocking the blow. The force set her off balance, and she quickly found the ground coming up to meet her; she squeezed her eyes shut.

Kurama caught her before she completely fell. "I guess we have a few things to work on." He said teasingly.

Madison, although blushing due to his arm around her waist, glared at him playfully. "You're the one who said to give it my all."

"That's true." He admitted. "But I believe I said to direct it at me, not the grass."

"Why you-!" She elbowed him, backing up to her original position, grumbling about arrogant red-heads.

**Hours later….**

"Well done Madison. You made good progress today." Kurama praised as he watched as the teen girl splash water onto her face. Once they had completed training they had come to river near the temple so Madison could wash the dirt off that she had acquired during her (somewhat comical) self defense learning experience.

"I guess." She rubbed away the last of the dirt, drying her skin with her shirt. "Did you perhaps, maybe, call Rina?" She asked hopefully, standing up.

Kurama nodded. "Yes. I told her you were staying at my house working on a science experiment."

"Phew. Thanks Kurama, you're a lifesaver. And I don't mean the candy." At Kurama's confused look she waved her hands dismissively. "Don't worry about it. We should probably go back. I'm-" She was cut of by a loud growl coming from her stomach. "Hehe. Hungry." She chuckled nervously, grinning.

"By the way Madison, have you tried connecting with Akane yet?" He asked amiably.

She shook her head. "N-no. Frankly, I've been a little bit afraid to." When he prompted her on, she continued "I just got through mixing our minds together. That was dangerous enough in and of itself, not to mention painful. I think it worked, I just…not sure I want to test that theory." She hung her head, half frightened that he was going to call her a baby, or lecture her or something. Not that she really expected him, Kurama, to do something like that, but deep down she had an unsettling feeling that she was just being a wimp. She'd never claimed to be a superhero or anything, but being around all these fighters and people who never gave up, who met danger head on, was a little intimidating. She didn't feel like she could measure up to them, even though they hadn't asked her to.

"Madison, it's all right if you don't want to try yet. You can give that some time." Kurama reassured her. A moment later he lightly grabbed her arm, bringing her to a stop beside him "Is there something bothering you?" He asked with genuine concern. She seemed a more downcast than she had just a moment ago, and strangely enough it worried him to see her like that.

She could hear the concern in his voice, and it sent a warm feeling up through her chest. But she quickly brushed off the feeling of inadequacy, knowing that logically she couldn't be expected to compete with them. She hadn't grown up in the same circumstances that they had, and so hadn't had a need to be able to handle life or death situations like that. It satisfied her conscious a little, and her stomach quickly overruled everything else. "No, it's alright. I'm fine. I just get, erm, bipolar when I'm starving." She flashed him a bright grin, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the temple.

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A/N: Well, there's chapter thirteen. I can't believe I've made it through thirteen chapters, my goodness...that's a lot of writing...Well, seeing as I got such a lack of response on my last chapter, I'm going to beg for response for this one. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review!! Anonymous reviews are fine, constructive criticism is always welcome (it's what helps us writers write better!), ANYTHING, just please review! I beg for those purely for the reason that the more reviews I get, the more inclined I am to write, the faster the chapters come out, and I feel a lot better about this story. If people don't review, I don't think that people actually like it, and then I get all depressed about it...( Anyhoo, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Bye bye!  



	14. Chapter 14: Too Lazy To Make A Title

A/N: Hello all! I know, it has taken me an incredibly long time to update, and I apologize. My problem was that at one point I wrote myself into a corner, and couldn't get out. So I had to backtrack, rewrite, etc. But anyway, here's the next chapter, enjoy!

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**Chapter Fourteen**

The clouds drifted lazily by overhead and a faint breeze caused the trees to dance. The current of air swirled across the girl's cheeks and closed eyelids. Kurama smiled faintly to himself, dropping down next to her. He sat for a moment, his hands clasped in his lap, indecisiveness written upon his features. On the one hand she'd be going home at the end of it all, so what was the point in even exploring his feelings for her?

His emerald eyes shifted over to her peacefully sleeping form even as he thought of the flip side: his feelings for her were growing, with or without his permission. Wouldn't it just be easier to admit what he was going through and get it out in the open? "Probably." He muttered, stiffening slightly as she rolled over so she was facing him, practically cuddling against him. A slight pink tinged his cheeks and he rubbed the back of his neck. Somehow what he had always assumed would be simple had turned out to be quite complicated.

"Orange feelings…" Madison murmured, her face scrunching up slightly at something unpleasant.

Kurama sighed; it didn't do any good to sit here worrying about it. "Wake up, Madison." He shook her shoulder gently, his voice soft so as not to startle her. When she didn't respond he shook her a little harder. "Madison. You need to get up."

"Thebedframeatethematress[_the bed frame ate the mattress_…" She mumbled, her eyes opening ever so slightly.

Kurama looked slightly confused. "Excuse me? I think you were dreaming again."

Madison groaned as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, stretching and yawning. "Dreaming? Why'd you say that?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

Kurama chuckled slightly. "Well I haven't ever heard of bed frames eating mattresses, but perhaps I'm just not aware of that event yet."

Madison sent him a sleepy glare. "No teasing the ogre. I is grumpy when awoken from a nice sleep…or nap, in this case…"

Kurama stood up and dusted himself off before extending a hand to her. "It's time to return home."

Madison pulled herself up, likewise dusting herself off. "Great!"

They got back to her house soon enough (apparently going down the stairs is quite a bit easier than going up ). "Rina, I'm home!" Madison yelled, stepping inside and waving to Kurama. She slipped off her shoes, peering inside. "Rina? Hellooo?" All of the rooms downstairs were clear, so the teen figured her caretaker must be at work. She padded up the stairs to her bedroom, stopping abruptly at the sight of Rina sitting on the bed, staring out of the window. "Rina?"

The woman seemed to rouse herself, her distant eyes turning upon the sandy-haired girl. "Oh. You're back. Did you finish the project?" Her voice was strange, almost monotone, very unlike her usual caring tone.

Madison's brows furrowed slightly; this was very unlike her. "It went fine. Are you sure you're all right Rina?" She stepped forward, causing the other woman to jump up onto her feet. "Yes, yes I'm fine." She walked quickly past her charge, starting down the stairs. She paused half-way down, her gaze on the steps in front of her. "But I've been thinking. I will be speaking to Social Services tomorrow. I believe that it would be best if you were placed somewhere else for…a while." She hurried down the rest of the stairs, shutting the door at the bottom.

Madison's eyes were wide. Whatever had caused Rina to do something like that? She whirled to follow and find out. Surely something terrible must have happened to make the nurse act so strange. She suddenly stopped on the first step as her memories of telling Rina of demons and such came flooding back. "That's why…" She murmured, sinking down onto the floor. She had thought that Rina was fine with the new knowledge, but perhaps that had just been shock. The girl's shoulders drooped and her head sunk down onto her chest, a tear slipping from her clear blue eyes down her freckled cheek. So now not only had she frightened the poor woman, but she was going to have to leave as well. A cloud of depression came down, encircling her, whispering sweet nothings in her ears.

(line break here)

Kurama rapped on the front door, his arms wrapped lightly around Madison's school bag. The wind blew through his red locks, ruffling them. His green eyes wandered around as he waited for the front door to be opened.

Minutes passed before Rina pulled the door open. "Hel-Oh! Shuiichi! You must be here to see Madison." She seemed surprised to see him; something about her casual manner seemed forced. "She's upstairs in her room.

Kurama nodded his thanks, heading up there after slipping off his shoes. "Madison-…" He trailed off, greeted by the sight of the aforementioned Madison curled up in a ball on the floor, her sand-colored tresses splayed out over her face and the floor. There were tears stains on her cheeks and t-shirt. He set down the bag, kneeling next to her and shaking her shoulder gently. "Madison." He said softly as she stirred, her blue eyes fluttering open.

"MMmm…Kurama?" She whispered drowsily, blinking sleepily at him.

"Did something happen?" He asked with concern, sitting back on his heels.

Madison rolled up into a sitting position, rubbing her eyes. They felt puffy and her head was pounding from the tears she had shed hours earlier. "No. Yes. Maybe…" She mumbled, running her fingers through her tangled hair.

Kurama waited patiently while she collected her scattered thoughts, settling into a sitting position on the floor.

It was a few more minutes before she spoke again. "She- No. I should never have told her. She couldn't, can't, handle the knowledge. I thought she could but I was wrong. I've never been more wrong in my life and I feel terrible about it."

Kurama took a moment to sift through what the girl was saying before he asked "What exactly did she say?"

Madison twisted and untwisted her fingers together in her lap. "She said that she had been thinking and had come to the decision that it would be better if I was placed somewhere else."

"Perhaps she really believes that and this move has nothing to do with what you told her." Kurama offered.

Madison shook her head dolefully. "You didn't see her. She was terrified, through and through. And it's all because of me." She ducked her head, feeling tears well up again.

Kurama reached forward and used his forefinger to tilt her chin up. "Look at me." He commanded softly. When she didn't respond he repeated it, a little more forcefully.

Her blue eyes finally came up and met his caring emerald green ones.

"You needn't look so sad. Everyone is still all right. No one died because of you. You made a mistake in telling her, yes," she turned her head away but he reached forward and pulled it back again "but it really was very minor, and it's easily fixed." At her look of confusion he explained "We'll erase her memory."

Madison's sighed. "It doesn't seem right to toy with someone's life like that."

"It's not, but would you rather she spent the rest of her life afraid because of what you told her?" Kurama pointed out.

Madison shook her head slowly. "No, but still…"

Kurama put a finger to her lips. "Sometimes you have to make hard decisions to keep those you care about safe. You may not like it, but she is better off this way." He gave her an encouraging smile, bringing his arm back. His eyes widened as Madison suddenly threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. "Thank you Kurama. I don't know what I would do if you weren't here." came her muffled voice. It took a moment before Kurama got over the shock of her unexpected action. Slowly, cautiously, he settled his arms around her comfortingly. "You're welcome." He said quietly.

They stayed that way for a few more minutes before Madison slowly pulled back. "You probably have stuff to do." She said haltingly, pushing herself onto her feet. Kurama followed suit, shaking his head. "Actually no, I don-" He was cut off as one wall of Madison's room exploded inwards, sending both of them flying.

When the debris had cleared away some Kurama leapt to his feet, his eyes scanning for Madison. A laugh turned his attention to the hole where the wall had once been.

Mitsuko, her hands on her hips, seemed very pleased with what she had seen. "My my Kurama, your skills must be getting dull if you didn't sense me coming. I came very slowly for your sake, but it seems that effort was in vain." She reached back over her head, pulling out a long and very lethal looking blade. She held it nonchalantly in front of her, its razor sharp edge gleaming. "I'm afraid that I'm not here for her this time. My master has ordered your death. I'm very sorry, but it is my job, so don't hold any grudges."

"OWWWWW!" Madison groaned, rolling over.

"Stay down Madison." Kurama ordered through clenched teeth, one hand going up for his rose.

"Too slow!"

Kurama barely had time to leap out of the way of her first attack; a grunt escaped his throat as the blade slammed against his side. It would have gone through him had he not used his hands to propel off it. He slid to a stop across the room, going down on one knee as blood poured from the deep wound. He grabbed his rose, instantly transforming it into the rose whip. It lashed forward, wrapping around the sword as Mitsuko thrust it at him again.

Madison pushed herself up, ignoring Kurama's order. "Kurama, what's…" Her question died on her lips as she saw the scene playing out in front of her. Her first instinct was to lay back down, but she heard Akane snap _'Get over there coward!'_ Madison scrambled onto her feet, blood pounding in her ears as she launched herself at Mitsuko's back. "KI-YA!"

Mitsuko whirled, sending her bent knee slamming against the girl's stomach. Even as blood flew from Madison's mouth Mitsuko grabbed the teen's throat at hurled her at Kurama.

His eyes widened and he had to transform his whip back into a rose to keep from hurting her. Madison crashed against him, sending them both toppling onto the ground. Kurama's eyes widened as he realized what was coming, too late. The blade pierced through both of them, bouncing off the ground and coming back out.

"Madison!" Kurama exclaimed through clenched teeth, rolling her off him. He pushed himself up onto his knees, one arm wrapped around his own stomach, the other pressing against hers.

Tears had formed and were spilling from her eyes. "D it hurts!" She moaned, feeling blood rising up in her throat. "I'm gonna die!" She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut.

"You're not going to die! Just hang in there!" Kurama hissed, his mind whirling. He needed to take care of Mitsuko, but he couldn't just leave Madison here like this. "What're you going to do?" He vaguely heard Mitsuko's taunting voice from across the room. But he also heard something else; a shift in the debris. "Madison, I'll be back, I promise!" He squeezed her hand, standing as he grabbed his rose whip.

By the time the rescue teams were able to get in the only occupant of the room was a barely conscious Madison. The medics rushed over, examining and prepping her for transporting to the hospital. "Miss, my name's Hiro. Can you hear me?" One of them asked, shining a light in her eyes; she was barely responsive. "Miss, if you can hear me I need to you to squeeze my hand." He waited, and few moments later her fingers flexed, putting the lightest of pressure on his hand. "Good girl. We're going to get you to the hospital in a few minutes, okay?" He turned his attention from her for a moment, keeping one hand in hers.

Within five minutes she was in the ambulance, a breathing mask over her face and an IV in her arm. Hiro had stayed by her side the entire time, and was currently trying to slow the bleeding. But Madison wasn't really aware of any of this.

'**Madison, you'll pull through this.'**

Akane spoke for the first time since their complete integration.

'_I'm not worried about me. Kurama went after Mitsuko, even though he was injured.'_

'**Kurama's smart. He'll figure something out.'**

'_He may be smart, but that doesn't change the fact the he was injured.'_

'**He's survived worse. Have some faith in him. He promised he'd be back, and he's never broken a promise.'**

"_I suppose you're right…'_

(line break here)

"You're sure you'll be alright at school?" Rina asked anxiously as she handed the backpack to her ward.

Madison smiled reassuringly. "Of course. It's been over a week. If I feel any pain, I'll go to the nurse's office." The bell rang, causing the teen to jump. "Gotta go. Bye!" She shut the door, hurrying into the building. She slid into her seat in her first class, resting her chin on her palm and staring out the window. She had been released from the hospital after three days, and a week later was now allowed to return to school. _'And not once in all that time have I seen Kurama.'_ She thought worriedly, abstractedly opening her text book to the specified pages.

The day seemed to fly by in a blur of taking notes, catching up, getting assignments, and avoiding probing questions. In the blink of an eye she was out on the front steps of the school, being hustled along by the swarm of teenagers eager to get home. "Madison!" Someone called. She felt her arm being tugged and she was pulled out of the crowd. "Kuwabara!" She exclaimed, bending over as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach.

"Are you alright?" She could hear the worry in Kuwabara's voice and quickly hurried to reassure him. "I'm fine, really." Kuwabara motioned for her to walk with him, taking her bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

Yusuke joined them a moment later on Madison's other side. "You sure you should be going to school just yet Madison? I mean, it's only been a little bit over a week."

Madison smiled. "I'm fine Yusuke, really."

"We don't want you hurting yourself." Kuwabara piped up.

Madison smiled up at him. "I'm not. How could I with you two mother hens keeping an eye on me?" She laughed a little at their slightly shocked expressions then asked abruptly "Hey, do either you know where Kurama's been? I haven't seen around, and he hasn't called me at all, and I'm beginning to worry. I haven't seen him since-"

"You want some ice cream?" Yusuke interrupted, pointing at the ice cream shop a few shops ahead of them on their walk.

Madison shook her head. "No thanks. But do you know?"

Kuwabara and Yusuke looked at each other over her head. "Kurama, he's-" Yusuke started but got interrupted by Kuwabara "-he's in the Spirit World hospital."

Madison stopped, her eyes wide. "What?!"

"Nice going Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted, giving his friend a thwack on the back of the head. "We were told not to worry her!"

Madison tugged on Yusuke's shirt. "Whotoldyounottoworrymeandwhyisheinthehospital [_who told you not worry me and why is he in the hospital_ ?!!?!" She demanded, heavy worry laced through her blue eyes.

Yusuke took her shoulders in his hands. "Madison, he got pretty banged up in his last fight."

The color drained from the girl's face. "Is…is it bad?" She barely dared breathe, and her fingers were turning white from gripping her skirt so tight.

Kuwabara and Yusuke's faced both fell. "They…Things didn't look too good for a while there."

"We were going to talk with Koenma today after dropping you off." Kuwabara piped up.

"I want to see him." Madison twisted her fingers together, fear stabbing painfully at her heart.

"Madison, I don't think that-" Yusuke starting, only to find himself interrupted yet again.

"I need to see him Yusuke!" She pleaded, unbidden tears springing to her eyes.

Yusuke wavered. "Come on, don't cry Madison." _'I don't know how to handle crying females.'_ He thought to himself, looking helplessly up at Kuwabara, who put a hand on Madison's shoulder. "It'll be better if you just wait for him to come back." The orange haired boy offered, trying to soothe her.

"NO!" She shouted, whirling around and clutching at Kuwabara's shirt. "I have to see him…please…" She whispered. The thought of him lying in the Spirit World hospital, alone, with the possibility of dying and her not seeing him again…knots formed in her stomach so tight she couldn't breathe, and her heart constricted like it might shrivel up and disappear. She wanted to see him – she must!

Yusuke sighed. "Well we can't promise, but if you must see him that badly-OOF!" He was cut off as Madison flung her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. "Thank you."

(line break here)

The door shut softly behind her as the girl gazed at the bed where Kurama lay. She cautiously stepped forward, her socked feet making no sound on the hard floor. _'I've never seen him like this. He seems so…fragile. As if a breath of wind might blow him away…for good…'_ Her blue eyes took in the tubes and wires leading away from underneath the covers, leading to various monitors and medical contraptions.

She carefully perched on the edge of the bed, almost holding her breath so she wouldn't disturb him. _'I'm so sorry…'_

'**_For what exactly, hmm?'_** Akane's voice broke into her thoughts.

'_For…him being here…'_ She fumbled.

'**_You believe that to be your fault?'_** Akane probed.

'_Well no, not exactly. But if I had-'_

'**_Oh get over it. It's not your fault, so stop blaming yourself. He doesn't blame you, and he wouldn't want you to blame yourself either.'_**

Madison reached over and took Kurama's pale hand between hers. _'He's so pale. … what did she do to him?'_

'**_More than you will ever want to know.'_**

The red head stirred, his eyes cracking open slightly. "Mad..ison?" He whispered, surprise evident in his voice.

"Kurama!" She exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, bringing his drowsy mind into full wakefulness.

"I came to.…I mean, Yusuke said that.…I needed to see you!" She burst out, tears slipping down her cheeks.

Kurama seemed astonished by her outburst. "Needed…to see me? I thought I told Yusuke and Kuwabara not to worry you too much."

"It's not their fault, I made them tell me." She looked down at her hands, which were still holding his.

"…There's no need to cry, I'm not going to die." Kurama offered awkwardly, unsure of how to comfort her.

"I have every reason to cry. You're lying cooped up in this bed because of me!"

Kurama put a finger to her lips. "That's not true. If that's why you're so worried then stop – the reason I'm lying here has nothing to do with you."

"Shuiichi Kurama Minamino, I am worried about you and I will continue to worry about you for one reason: I love you!" She cried, launching forward and pressing her lips against his.

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A/N: There it is folks. Please review, it's always appreciated. I hope to come out with the next chapter MUCH sooner than this one took! xD 


	15. Chapter 15: A Change of Pace

A/N: There it is! Chapter fifteen is finished, quite a bit faster than I had originally expected. It took me only about three sessions of a an hour each to get it finished! The first half is very cutesy-fluffy blah. I couldn't help myself, and the rest of the story (mainly due to Madison) is so teenage-emotional that I just had to put some nice happy stuff in there. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter Fifteen**

"Miss Madison, are you even paying attention?" The teacher demanded in an irritated tone, tapping his foot on the ground. Madison didn't seem to hear him as she continued to stare out the window, a dopey smile pasted on her face. "Miss Madison!" The teacher slammed his hand down on the student's desk with a startling loud 'thwack'.

Madison nearly jumped out of her skin, her large blue eyes swerving to the face of her instructor. "S-sorry!" She heard titters and laughs from the rest of the class and a red flush instantly rose into her face, causing her to duck her head in embarrassment. The teacher frowned. "Perhaps you would care to share whatever had you so enthralled." He said stiffly, crossing his arms.

The girl could feel her face grow hotter as she shook her head; that would be the worst thing to do. The cause of her distraction had been none other than the kiss she'd planted on Kurama's lips.

"Whatever it is can wait till after school, understood?"

Madison nodded meekly, not daring to look up as the teacher strode back up to the front of the room. "Now students, we turn our attention to page 87 in…"

The minute the bell rang indicating the end of the period Madison was on her feet and bolted out the door. Becoming so distracted in class, and the little 'lecture' the teacher had given her – how humiliating! She hid behind her locker door, avoiding the stares and questions whispered behind hands around her. She'd never tell them she'd been daydreaming about kissing Kurama – that'd be too weird! She was just grabbing her binder when someone walked into the open door of her locker, sending it banging against her.

"OW!" She yelped, dropping the binder and clamping her hands down on her head.

"Watch where you're going Kuwabara!" A familiar voice scolded followed by a familiar thwack.

"Yusuke?" Madison peeked around the edge of her locker door at Yusuke standing over his fallen friend. "Oh hey Madie!" He exclaimed, a boyish grin appearing on his face. "Kuwabara here didn't hurt you too badly did he?" He asked, giving Kuwabara another hit upside the head.

"Ow! Urameshi! You're okay, right Madison?"

Madison couldn't help a small smile despite the throbbing and nodded. "I'm fine Kuwabara. Don't worry about it." She rubbed the back of her head again, grabbing her binder and shutting the door. "I probably deserved it for hiding like that." She said sheepishly, shoving the binder into her backpack. Yusuke pulled Kuwabara up and then they both turned to her. "You going to lunch now?" Yusuke asked; at her nod Kuwabara said "Come on. We can eat together."

Within a few minutes Madison was safely situated at one of the tables waiting for Yusuke and Kuwabara to return with her lunch. She watched them continue to beat up on each as only best friends can, giggling a little since she couldn't hear what they were saying.

"They are quite amusing, aren't they?"

Her eyes widened and she leapt onto her feet, whirling around. The chair clattered to the floor as she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "I didn't know you were coming today!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Kurama seemed a little startled by her reaction but gradually relaxed under the affection. "They let me out for good behavior." He said teasingly, slowly wrapping one arm around her as well.

She pulled back, stooping to pick up her chair, a faint blush rising into her cheeks as she heard the whispers going around the room but she was too happy to care. "Really Shuiichi, I didn't expect for you to be here for a few more days." She sat back down in her chair as he followed suit and sat down in a chair.

He set his books on the ground, bringing his homemade lunch out. "I healed faster than expected." He smiled softly, beginning to eat the food. Madison couldn't stop smiling as she watched him eat; just a few days ago she'd been so freaked out about the possibility of him dying and now he was sitting here next to her as if nothing had happened! It was like a dream come true.

"Hey! Do we get as bright a smile for bringing your food?" Yusuke teased, setting her tray down in front of her.

Madison blushed a little, giving him a playful glare. "Not unless you brought me chocolate cake." She retorted, grabbing the fork and digging in. She felt at such peace now surrounded by these three. Kurama was alright, Yusuke and Kuwabara were there for her, Rina had had her memory of what Madison had told her erased, and Akane was stable. Yes, things seemed to finally be coming together. The teen felt a twinge of guilt tug at her; she really shouldn't be settling in here like this. She should be frantic about going home; she should be demanding that Koenma tell her how to get home. But she wasn't. Why wasn't she? _'Because if you go that would mean leaving Yusuke and Kuwabara and Rina and…Kurama.'_

"Madison? Are you alright?" Kurama's voice broke into her thoughts, causing her to blink rapidly and bring them all back into focus. "What? Sorry, spaced out." She smiled reassuringly, but there was that nagging in the back of her head: _you must come to a decision._

(line break here)

"Ne Kurama, what happened to Mitsuko?" Madison piped up suddenly; it was after school. Kurama had offered to walk her home. They were walking down the street, Madison at times holding onto Kurama's hand as she walked while he carried her bag for her.

"Mitsuko?" Kurama raised an eyebrow. "Why the curiosity?" Madison shrugged, smiling up at him. "No reason." Kurama thought back; it was a little difficult to remember. "I…I'm not sure." He admitted, tugging her around a telephone pole. "I don't really remember much after we left the house."

"Oh. Okay." She hugged his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, a small smile tugging at his lips. It was still hard to remember that she wasn't used to watching her friends escape from death's claws everyday. "Honestly Madison, I'm perfectly alright." He commented quietly, half-teasing.

Madison looked up into his emerald green eyes and blushed, twisting her face away hurriedly. "I-I know that!" She protested. How had he known she was worrying about that? Had he read her thoughts?! "Impossible! That's Hiei's department!" She spluttered aloud, unconsciously letting go of Kurama.

"What's Hiei's department?" Kurama asked, amused at how scatter-brained she'd seemed to be today. Madison's face began to compete with a cherry tomato when she realized she'd spoken aloud. "No-nothing! It-it's nothing!" She stammered, keeping her face hidden from him. A moment later she heard a reserved chuckle that he was obviously trying to stifle. She peeked up at him, unable to stop a smile from coming onto her face as she looked at him.

"Watch out!"

Madison's eyes flew forward and she threw her arms up over her head with a scream. She felt herself being pulled against something and then a whoosh of air rushed past her. "Are you alright?" Madison blinked; she could hear Kurama's chest rumble as she spoke due to her newfound position in his arms. She tilted her head up, shy blue eyes meeting concerned green ones. "Y-yeah." Her heart was still pounding in her chest and adrenaline was still pumping through her veins, but she was safe. (And heck, Kurama's holding her – who wouldn't be okay? Lol I kid, I kid…xP ) "It only frightened me a little."

Kurama's eyes flickered over her once just to assure himself that she was indeed alright before his hold relaxed a little. "You should watch where you're going more closely." He said quietly, losing himself in the depths of her eyes.

"Why should I when I have you to watch for me?" She retorted teasingly, resting her hands on his chest. He leaned his head down and rested his forehead on hers. "Because I might not always be able to pull you out of harms way in time."

Madison felt pink creeping into her cheeks again. "Stop it! You just wanna see me blush!" She pouted.

Kurama chuckled. "Alright. Let's go to my house to study, its closer."

(line break here)

"But it makes no sense!" Madison wailed, throwing her hands up in despair.

"It makes perfect sense. Look at this." Kurama soothed, pointing to the math problem he had just a moment earlier carefully drawn out step-by-step. Madison turned her bleary eyes upon it; they'd done nothing but study, study, study since they got back from school. It was now nine o'clock at night! Exam time meant cram time, especially for a girl who was used to the slower American pace of high school education. She squinted at it, held it close to her face, held it at arms length, and finally tossed it away. "I can't do it, I don't care if I fail the exams! I can't look at another math problem or I'm going to scream!" She clenched her fists, tears welling up in her eyes.

Kurama knew better than to press her further. "Alright, we'll stop for tonight. Do you want some tea? It'll help you relax." At her miserable nod he rubbed her shoulder for a moment before standing up and walking into the kitchen. His mother had phoned earlier and told him she was going to be home late from the meeting, but at his offer to come get her she told him she was sure someone would escort her home.

Madison hugged her legs to her chest, resting her head on her knees. She felt utterly drained from all the hours of pouring over schoolwork. If she didn't have Shuiichi for a mentor she would have failed any exam they threw at her. "I am not cut out for Japanese school." She groaned, rubbing at her blurry eyes. "Here." A warm mug was pressed into her hands smelling of soothing aromas. She blinked at it for a moment, not comprehending.

"The tea?" Kurama reminded her, taking up his position on the couch again. "Drink it. Don't put your face in it."

She nodded slowly, putting her lips to the rim and sipping from it. It tasted of cinnamon. "Mmmm." She purred, feeling the warm liquid work its way down her throat. She brought the mug to her lips again, drinking more of it. When she had finished she set the mug, now empty, down on the coffee table. "Alright. Let's look at it again." Her eyes were bright again; the tea seemed to have woken her up again. "So my problem is righ-Mmph!" While asking her question she had turned her head. Unbeknownst to her Kurama had been leaning forward over her shoulder to see what she was talking about. Her question was effectively brought to an abrupt halt as her lips pressed against his.

For a moment they both froze eyes wide.

Madison dropped the paper onto the floor, bringing her hand up behind Kurama's head and pulling him deeper into the kiss. Her eyes closed and she relaxed as she felt his arms surround her and hold her close. A warm tingly sensation took up residence in her body; she felt so safe, so secure in his embrace.

Slowly they parted, Kurama looking down at this girl against to him. He hadn't been able to help himself. When she'd begun kissing him all rational thoughts had flown from his mind and he'd kissed her back and pulled her close to himself. And for some reason, he still didn't mind. He was holding her – he was holding the most precious thing in the world.

(line break here)

Shiori opened the front door, shutting it behind her. "Shuiichi, I'm home." She called as she hung up her jacket; the lights were still on so he must have waited up for her. Not hearing any response she walked over to the living room. "Shuiich-" She halted, a soft smile spreading on her lips. Madison was sitting hunched over the coffee table, her arms resting above her head on the hard surface as she slept. Kurama, who had moved down off the couch, was next to her, his head resting on top of his arms as he too slept.

His mother smiled tenderly as she quietly crossed the room, laying a blanket over the two before giving them each a soft kiss on the head. She then turned out the lights downstairs and retired up to her room with just one contented look towards Kurama. She had never seen him looking as serene as peaceful as he looked right then.

(line break here)

"Madison. Madison. Wake up."

Madison stirred slightly, her eyes opening half-way. "Wha'isit?" She slurred sleepily.

Kurama smiled at her. "School."

It took a few minutes before it registered in her brain. "Oh. School." She said dully, her eyes closing and her head thumping back down on the table.

Kurama chuckled a little, shaking her shoulder. "Yes, school. We're going to be late. Get up."

"IdunwannabeinWestSideMacbeth." She shut her eyes, groggily swatting his hand away.

Kurama rolled his eyes, taking a grip on her shoulder and pulling her back against the couch so she was sitting up straight. "Not a play – school! We're going to be late for school!"

"Yeswe'regoingtobelatefor..for…SCHOOL!" She yelped, her eyes jumping open. "Aaaiieee!" She squealed, scrambling for her books. "We're going to be late! We're going to be late! We are _going_ to be **late**!" She exclaimed, frantically jamming them into her bag and leaping onto her feet. Kurama grabbed her shoulders, bringing her to a halt. "Calm down. Not that late. Just keep breathing."

It didn't take them long to get to the school. There was no one in the yard; the bell must have already rung. Kurama walked Madison to her class before jogging off to his with a "See you at lunch!". Madison slid into her seat, glad that at least the teacher was late today as well so she wouldn't be marked tardy. "Whatsa' matter Madison, Kurama keep you up late last night?" The girl with black hair and violet eyes taunted, jealousy and loathing in her eyes. Madison remembered that this was Emiko, one of the leaders of Kurama's fanclubs.

Madison glared at her. "That's none of your damn business." She growled, turning away. These girls made her so disgusted she wanted to puke. Emiko smirked. "Oh ho ho. Touchy touchy." Madison whirled on her. "You guys make me so sick with the way you fawn over him! Why don't you get it through your empty heads that he doesn't like you and you have no claims on him! I'm dating Shuiichi, and there's nothing you can do about it!" She snapped, her eyes flashing. All the fan girls in the room were a little taken aback – these were new developments.

"D-dating Shuiichi? Impossible. He'd never go for a loser like you." Aemi, Emiko's right hand girl, sneered at her. But Madison could detect the gleam of fear in their eyes as they considered the possibility of her having told the truth. She smirked, not even bothering to reply as she turned her attention to her books. She couldn't help a triumphant grin from spreading over her face as she detected the panicked whispers going around the room. _'Ha! Take that!'_ She thought victoriously, pulling out her history book and opening it up.

(line break here)

"Kuroda's been spotted." Madison, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and Kurama were all seated in Koenma's office listening to his big news. "Mind you our contact died after informing us of that," he said sourly "but the fact remains that we now have a location on him."

Madison looked over at Kurama, excitement and fear both dueling in her eyes: excitement because they found Kuroda, and fear because someone would have to go after him and could get hurt. At his soft smile she turned her gaze back on Koenma, less afraid than she had been before.

"So let's go get him." Yusuke and Kuwabara both voiced in unison, obviously eager for some action.

Koenma held up his hand. "You two will be back-up. In case," he looked at Hiei, Kurama, and Madison "in case they fail." Madison felt a shiver run up her spine. He meant in case they died, and that was not a pleasant thought. Yusuke and Kuwabara both began to protest. "But-" "Koenma!"

The ruler held up his hand. "That's final."

"Koenma sir!" An ogre burst through the door, panting heavily from running. "Those two you told us to keep an eye out for? They've been spotted – in the human world!" A whirlwind of activity followed this statement. A portal was opened and Kurama, Hiei, and Madison were shoved through with shouts of good luck.

Once on the other side Hiei and Kurama looked at each other and they both pointed the direction the aura was coming from. Kurama grabbed Madison's hand and pulled her along as they rushed down the street. The girl was hard pressed just to keep her footing at their haphazard pace. They came to the entrance of the park, a frown crossing Hiei's features. "Stay close." He hissed at the other two, more to Madison than Kurama as they stepped through the archway.

There didn't seem to be any signs of life in the park. It was desolate. An ominous wind blew against them, causing Madison to huddle closer to Kurama. "I don't have a good feeling…" She said quietly, her blue eyes looking around for any sign of the demonic intruders. Thunder rolled close by, causing the girl to jump.

Kurama wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Relax. It's just the thunder." He said soothingly.

"Welcome."

All three of them turned their eyes forward again. They could've sworn that area had been empty just a moment ago, but in any case they could now quite clearly see Kuroda standing there, a mocking smile on his face. "Welcome, all of you. I must say I was expecting a few more to my little party. But oh well. Less people, less clean-up, right? And you already know my assistant Mistuko." He nodded and they whirled, finding the demoness not ten feet behind them.

"Hello boys; Madison." The demoness smiled cheekily, her hands resting comfortably on her hips.

Madison felt her heartbeat increasing, pounding in her chest. Kurama could feel her rising panic and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Calm down. Take deep breaths. We'll come out of this okay. You've got Hiei and I here, remember?" Madison smiled appreciatively, although it really didn't help all that much. But she tried to calm her racing heart, for Kurama's sake.

"Now Mitsuko, would you?" Kuroda met her eyes, giving a quick nod. Mitsuko smiled, sending a burst of aura into the ground. Kurama's grip around Madison tightened as a circle or energy-charged rock shot up in a circle around them, trapping them to in an arena that was barely twenty feet across. Knots began forming in the girl's stomach – this did not look good for them. And with this wall, that left no room for any sort of back-up or help coming to their rescue.

'**Looks like an entertaining fight.'** Madison jumped as Akane's clear and unworried voice rang through her head.

'_Entertaining?! Are you insane?! They've got us trapped and they're going to SLAUGHTER us!!!'_

'**Calm down. You're being over-dramatic.'**

'_I AM NOT BEING OVER-DRAMATIC!!! Do you not see these odds?!?! We're going to d-'_

'**Stop your pity-party already. It's getting tiring. You are such a simple-minded girl sometimes Madison. Besides, you won't even technically fight. I will.'**

'_That's doesn't change the fact that this is MY body, and if you die then I die as well!'_

'**Minor details to make it more interesting. Now it's going to start soon so how's about letting me out?'**

Madison sighed and closed her eyes. The transformation process, with practice, had gotten easier since their melding together. When her eyes opened again they were green. "Let's get it on Kuroda!" The air around her began crackling with demonic aura as she clapped her hands together, forming different signs at a breakneck speed. Hiei and Kurama could feel the air around them begin to shift. "What the hell are you-!" Hiei began to yell, feeling himself being pushed back by the air currents.

"Shoot!" Hiei and Kurama whirled, bringing out their weapons instantaneously to block the surprise attack from Mitsuko. "It's you and me, boys." Thunder boomed overhead and lightening began striking the ground at an alarming rate.

The air around Kuroda began to glow blue, as did his entire body. "Well well Akane, rather aggressive today, aren't we?" At the exact same moment they both threw their arms forward, sending bursts of aura-charged air at each other. The two spheres of energy met in the middle with a huge explosion sending all of the ground in the arena flying. Akane landed on the wall, using some aura to protect herself from Mitsuko's run of electricity through the walls. She tilted her head back, her eyes landing on Kuroda for a brief instant before they threw themselves at each other, balling aura in their closed fists.

"Be more careful Akane!" Kurama yelled, as he and Hiei had been caught unawares when the explosion happened and had narrowly avoided hitting the wall. "You should never get distracted in a fight!" Mitsuko snapped, hurling a lightening ball at him. She whirled on her heels, shielding herself from Hiei's blows with a sheet of rock. She leapt away from his blade, hurtling lightening bolts and balls to try and keep her two opponents at a distance.

Akane blocked Kuroda's kick, sending her fist towards his face. He blocked that and jammed his knees into her ribs as he simultaneously knocked his head against hers. As the wind whooshed from her lungs she raked her claws across his chest with a snarl. He leapt back, blood dripping from the deep wound. "I do believe that stings!" He cried indignantly, fire lighting in his eyes as he shot a stream of aura towards her. She thrust her hands forward with a cry, sending her own stream of aura forward in the nick of time. The two streams met, the duel for strength and power beginning.

"Fist of the Mortal Flame!" Hiei's fists pounded into Mitsuko's slender frame. Her eyes bulged as she felt the hits, sent flying due to being caught unawares. She crashed against the wall headfirst, unable to stand for a moment because of the impact. Her eyes darted between the two of them, waving her arm in a sweeping motion. A wave of rock rose up from the middle of the arena, crashing down like a tsunami upon the two heroes.

Akane could feel Kuroda's aura beginning to overpower hers. She broke her stream off, scrambling frantically out of the way. His aura sliced into her side like a blade, causing her to stumble. She pressed her hand against the burnt flesh, whirling to face him. "Fukai no Shindou!" She yelled, throwing a burst of bright aura at him. He broke off his stream instantly, throwing up his arms to shield himself from her high powered attack.

* * *

A/N: Well, what did you think? I hope the fight scene came out alright and wasn't too confusing. I'm thinking about ending this story within the next two or three chapters. I mean, you can only drag a story on so long, right? I'll try to update soon. Bye! (Oh. For those who are curious, "Fukai no shindou" [hopefully[ means something like "deep impact". I hope. If not, oh well) 


	16. Chapter 16: Final Moments

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry it's been so long since I updated. Homework. Anyway, here is the final chapter. I wanted to get the story finished, since I've lost interest in it. I hope it's alright. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

"_We did it Madison. Kuroda is dead." Kurama turned his whip back into a simple rose, placing it in his hair._

_Madison smiled, even she looked around at the destruction around them. "We did it." Kuroda and Mitsuko both lay on the ground, completely still after the three hour battle._

_Kurama came over and hugged Madison, supporting her as her legs gave out. It hadn't been easy, but it was finally over…_

Her lower lip trembled, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. This was it. The teen swiped at her eyes. She would not cry in front of them. She couldn't. As she looked up, her blue eyes stared back at her from the mirror…

"_Akane's gone." Madison's trembled as she spoke over the phone with Kurama._

"_That would make sense, seeing as she was only here to defeat Kuroda, and we accomplished that." Kurama responded._

_Madison could hear the sounds of pencil on paper from Kurama's end as she slumped down in the chair. "I know, it's just…I kinda got attached to her. Now I feel kind of empty, like a part of me is missing."_

"_Don't focus on missing her. She wouldn't want that."_

_Madison sighed. "I know…" Her eyes drifted over the pages spread out around her on the bed. Before calling Kurama she'd been trying to decide whether she'd go home or not. There were a bunch of reasons for going and staying, which she'd been writing down. "Kurama, I need an honest answer from you." She said suddenly._

"_Of course Madison. What is it?"_

"_I-" The words seemed to stick in her throat. She swallowed hard, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "Do you think I should go home?" She blurted suddenly._

_There was a moment of silence. "That's not really my decision." He said quietly._

"_That's not what I asked." She signed, flopping back on the bed. She'd been thinking about it for two days since the fight, and still hadn't come to a conclusion._

"_I ... can't help you with this one Madison."_

_She noticed the slight pause. "Do you __**want**__ me to go?" She asked softly._

"_No." He said without hesitation. "But don't let that effect your decision. Don't decide based upon your feelings."_

"_I know, I know…"_

"It's time to go Madison." Yusuke tapped on the door.

Madison jerked as she was pulled from her memories. "R-right." She splashed cold water on her face. After drying herself she opened the door. "I'm ready." She smiled bravely, following him out the front door of her house. She paused at the car, turning to look back on more time at this house that had become a home to her. Not HER home, but a home nonetheless. So many wonderful memories contained in it. With a regretful smile she slid into the back seat, pulling the door shut.

"Kurama's meeting us there." Yusuke slid in on the other side. Koenma, for whatever reason, had hired a limo to take them to where it had all begun: the collapsed building where Kurama and Yusuke had found Madison.

Madison stared out the window. She wasn't good company right now, but she didn't really care. When she'd first come here she'd been frightened, and she hadn't known what to do. Now she had made such wonderful friends. She'd had her first kiss here, fought her first fight here, found her first love here. And now she was about to give it all up.

_She set the mug, now empty, down on the coffee table. "Alright. Let's look at it again." Her eyes were bright again; the tea seemed to have woken her up again. "So my problem is righ-Mmph!" While asking her question she had turned her head. Unbeknownst to her Kurama had been leaning forward over her shoulder to see what she was talking about. Her question was effectively brought to an abrupt halt as her lips pressed against his. _

_They both froze, eyes wide._

_Madison dropped the paper onto the floor, bringing her hand up behind Kurama's head and pulling him deeper into the kiss. Her eyes closed and she relaxed as she felt his arms surround her and hold her close. A warm tingly sensation took up residence in her body; she felt so safe, so secure in his embrace._

A tear dripped down her face. Kurama. She loved him, she knew she did. And he loved her. But it wasn't enough. She didn't belong here, this wasn't her home. No matter how much she loved him, tried to fit in, or how many friends she made, it still wasn't right. She had to go home.

"Hey, Madison."

She turned her head when she heard Yusuke's voice, not bothering to hide the tears.

"It'll be okay." He patted her shoulder somewhat awkwardly.

She smiled gratefully, turning her gaze back out the window. No matter which she had chosen she'd been leaving something behind. In this case, it was her heart.

* * *

Madison looked down at the bracelet around her wrist. Koenma had told her to break it once inside the remains of the building. It would send out a burst of energy which would send her home.

"It's time."

Madison nodded as she heard Yusuke's somber voice. She turned around, hugging him tight. "I'll miss you." She pulled back, turning and embracing Kuwabara. "You have a big heart. I will miss you."

Releasing him she turned and looked at Kurama, unsure of what to do.

"I'll walk you inside." He said quietly, motioning for her to lead the way.

Theirs was a quiet walk as they entered the small portion of the building that still stood. Once they were far enough in they both stopped, facing each other.

After a moment Madison broke the silence. "This is so hard." She choked out, swiping at her eyes with that back of her hand. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. "I don't want to leave you."

Slowly, Kurama's arms descended around her. "Don't cry Madison. You made this decision for a reason. You have to stick to it." His feelings were torn. He didn't want her to leave, but he wouldn't not use that to guilt her into staying. Logically speaking, she should go back to her world. This was one of the few times he wished he weren't so clear-minded and could just forget it and go by his feelings. But that was wrong, and he knew it. All he could do was to make this as easy as possible for her. "Everything will be fine." He assured her, pulling her away from himself.

She forced the tears to stop, nodding slowly. "It's still painful." She choked out, rubbing her eyes on her sleeve.

"You have to be strong Madison." He used his thumb and brushed away some of her tears. Glancing at his watch he said "It's time."

Her heart constricted in her chest. She threw her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his in a brief kiss. "I'll never forget you." She vowed, letting go of him.

"Nor I you." He said softly, turning and walking slowly out of the building. His heart very fragile right now: he was leaving the first person he had loved, besides his mother.

Madison watched him until she couldn't see him anymore. Her gaze turned down to the bracelet on her wrist, her other hand slowly reaching for it. "Good bye." She whispered, tearing it.

* * *

With a gasp Madison sat up in her bed. Her eyes darted around the room. Yes, it was definitely hers. She slid out of the bed, dashing out of her door. "I'm back!" She called. Hearing no response she ran to her parent's bedroom. "Mom? Dad?"

"Mm, back from where Madison?" Her mother mumbled sleepily.

"I…I've been gone for weeks." She was shocked. Why weren't they surprised at her reappearance?

"It must have been a dream, honey. It's only been a few hours. Go drink some tea and go back to bed."

Madison shut the door, slowly shuffling back to her own room. Had it all been a dream? She sat down on the edge of the bed. No. It couldn't have been. It had been real. She got up and ran over to her computer, turning the monitor on. "Date, date, date…" She mumbled, bringing up the calendar. "That's impossible. I've been gone for weeks." Slowly she sank down onto the floor, her shoulders sagging.

"Perhaps it wasn't real after all…" She conceded with a sigh. Kurama's face flashed through her mind and she felt a stab a pain. That was real enough. Whether she'd actually been or not didn't really matter. She loved him.

She pulled open one of her cardboard boxes, digging into it. Victoriously she pulled out a picture. She'd found it online weeks ago and gotten it for the heck of it. Now she was extremely glad she had. It was a picture of a very special person, one whom she would never forget – Kurama.

THE END

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A/N: Very short compared to me other chapters. I apologize. But as I mentioned I wanted to get the story finished. If there is enough outcry for a happy ending (one with Kurama) then I will probably write an alternate ending for it. I hope you've enjoyed this story! Bye! 


	17. Chapter 17: Alternative Ending

A/N: Okay, so here's the ALTERNATIVE ending to my story. What can I say, I'm a sucker for happily ever afters! D Anyway, hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Alternative Chapter Sixteen**

Blue eyes stared up at the ceiling. This was it. Today was the day when she was going to return home. Her phone rang, but she ignored it. She felt so numb, although part of that was from the painkillers. She hadn't gotten away from that fight with Kuroda without a scratch…

_The dust slowly cleared. Kurama strained his eyes, searching for Madison._

_Akane fell to her knees. Kuroda lay on the ground before her, dead. "It is finished Madison. It's…over…" She slumped forward, her green eyes closing._

"_MADISON!!"_

"Madison! You up there?"

Madison's eyes flickered to the top of the stairs upon hearing Kuwabara's voice. "Yes." She replied finally, slowly sitting up.

"We gotta be going." His orange-haired head appeared at the top, a somber look on his face.

"I'm…coming." She didn't crawl out of the bed until he had disappeared. As she looked around the room that had become home she felt an overwhelming sadness take hold of her. She missed her own home, but she was so much happier here than she had been in her own world. She loved everyone here so much. With a soft sigh she grabbed her jacket and departed the room.

The car ride was silent, Yusuke and Kuwabara both unsure of what to say.

Madison sat alone in the back seat, resting her forehead against the window. Her eyes stared unseeing at the swiftly moving scenery. She didn't want to think about life without this place, without them, without … Kurama.

_She set the mug, now empty, down on the coffee table. "Alright. Let's look at it again." Her eyes were bright again; the tea seemed to have woken her up again. "So my problem is righ-Mmph!" While asking her question she had turned her head. Unbeknownst to her Kurama had been leaning forward over her shoulder to see what she was talking about. Her question was effectively brought to an abrupt halt as her lips pressed against his. _

_They both froze, eyes wide._

_Madison dropped the paper onto the floor, bringing her hand up behind Kurama's head and pulling him deeper into the kiss. Her eyes closed and she relaxed as she felt his arms surround her and hold her close. A warm tingly sensation took up residence in her body; she felt so safe, so secure in his embrace._

First one sob escaped her. Then another, and another. Once they started, she couldn't seem to stop them. A flood of tears rolled down from her eyes as she buried her face in her hands, crying her heart out.

Yusuke and Kuwabara shifted uncomfortably, glancing at each other. They'd been expecting this, but they were still uncomfortable. Crying girls were really not their thing.

By the time they arrived at the collapsed building (where they'd first found Madison), she'd stopped crying.

All three got out of the car, walking over to where Kurama was waiting for them. He watched wordlessly as she turned and hugged first Kuwabara, and then Yusuke.

As if by unspoken agreement Madison and Kurama fell into step together as they walked into what remained of the building. Once far enough in they both stopped.

"This is it." Madison spoke softly, turning slowly towards him.

"Be happy, Madison." He reached out and hugged her gently, struggling to control his own emotions.

She nodded against him, her fingers gripping his shirt tightly.

Knowing the longer they stood there the harder it would, he pulled her away from himself. Seeing her sad look he tilted her chin up. "Be strong." He gave him a small smile, planting a kiss on her forehead.

She closed her eyes, not opening them until the sounds of his footsteps had died away. She looked down at the bracelet around her wrist. Koenma had said that once torn it would send out a burst of energy that would send her home. _Home_. She remembered someone once saying that 'home is where the heart is'. If that were true, then she was leaving her home. She fingered the edge of the bracelet, a tear dripping down her face. "There's no place like home…"

Kurama smiled wanly at Yusuke and Kuwabara as they drove off. It was easier for them, she'd only been a friend. They would move on, get over it. But he … he'd gotten involved. And now it hurt. He'd known that from the beginning, yet he hadn't been able to help himself.

"Kurama!"

He clenched his fist, trying to control himself. He was still hearing her call his name. He must stop thinking about her, she wasn't coming back.

"Kurama?"

His eyes widened as her flesh-and-blood face appeared in front of him. "M-Madison!" He exclaimed, startled. "Why didn't you go home?" He asked, reigning in the impending excitement growing in him.

She took a deep breath. "I couldn't. … My parents once told me that home is where your heart is. If that's true, then my home is right here."

Kurama almost couldn't believe his ears. "But that's not-"

She covered his mouth with her hand. "It's irrational, foolish, and probably a little reckless since I decided it just a split-second ago. But," she removed her hand "not everything has to make perfect sense. Sometimes, you just have to trust your feelings."

For once he didn't know what to do or say. He wanted to dance, jump, shout! But the more composed side of him refused to allow it.

"It's okay Kurama. You don't to do anything wildly crazy. I know you're happy." With a smile she placed her hands on his shoulders, leaning up and placing a sweet kiss on his lips. "I am home."

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A/N: Well, there you have it. You can pick which ending you like best. I hope you enjoyed the story. Bye! 


End file.
